Djokovic: People should 'cool off' on Serena Williams criticism - ESPN

LONDON — Novak Djokovic knows just what it means to have to live up to lofty expectations after years of titles and trophies.

He's 39 and is a 24-time Grand Slam champion who now plays only sparingly.

So he is better positioned than almost anyone else to analyze what Serena Williams — a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion just like he is — must have been feeling after losing at the All England Club earlier this week in the first singles match that she played in nearly four years.

«People always expect you to play at your best because they're used to seeing you dominate the sport for many years,» Djokovic said. «She's 44. She has two children. Coming back, it's normal that she still is not at her best in terms of movement. She hasn't played a match in so many years. People need to cool off a little bit with judgment and criticism and everything. Let's just enjoy the greatness, who she is, what she represents to the sport.»

Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia in the first round Tuesday but showed she could be competitive with an opponent less than half her age after being away for so long.

Williams still cranked out serves faster than 120 mph and dictated points with her heavy groundstrokes. But movement was an issue, and the 87th-ranked Joint was able to win more of the big points by hitting beyond the reach of the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion.

«Her wanting to give it a try and just come back is an incredible gift for our sport,» Djokovic said. «I think people sometimes — I don't know why — they don't appreciate that enough. They just start to speculate, judge or whatever. It's like, 'Hey, guys, enjoy. You have the greatest ever to come play for you, to bring more