[Herdwick]

Roger Federer comes from a comfortable background in Switzerland; Rafael Nadal from an affluent family in Majorca. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the son of a chemistry professor. By contrast, it sounds as though the Djokovics are not highly educated and have had to fight hard for every penny.

What are the backgrounds of the majority of posters here and might these affect your opinions?

I ask because the strongest recurring theme in the Djokovic-bashing is that he and his family 'lack class'. Being a Brit, and therefore living in what is still one of the most class-obsessed countries on the planet, the discussions/criticisms of Djokovic and his parents are very reminiscent of those in our broadsheet newspapers when commenting on the likes of Wayne Rooney (young English soccer star for those not familiar) and his family.

Working class Scot here BTW...

 

[Burrow]

Working class...

Far from rich here.

Most tennis players I would imagine would have a bit of money behind them (before they became players)

 

[Farenhajt]

Another contribution to Spartan-vs-Ballet tennis dispute. Tennis really should outgrow its fancy-colonialistic-Sunday-entertainment-for-stonefaced-wrinkled-aristocrats origin and status. Those can keep their polo and cricket (no one would mind), but tennis should become a true gladiator sport.

As for Rooney, his "classy" critics can really just s*** his c***.

 

[Burrow]

I know guys who play cricket and the majority of them are far from rich, another stereotype.

 

[Clara Bow]

I always thought that Nole's family was fine off economically- they ran their restaurant when he was young and I always thought he was fairly comfortable.

Here in the US- you can say that individual's actions lack class regardless of their socio-economic background. And I don't think that the majority of posters who find fault with some of Nole's actions and that of his family are doing it as a class - or national- issue, but in fact because they may not think that everything he and they do is wonderful.

I am from a middle class background although my family became more firmly entrenched in middle class through the years as when I was little there were harder times with money. Both of my parents come from working class backgrounds, and their parents came from I guess what would be considered poverty.

Most tennis players I would imagine would have a bit of money behind them (before they became players)

If I recall correctly- I think there has has been some friction in Argentinian tennis because some of the players (Gaudio for one) do not come from well-to-do backgrounds and did not always get the support they needed from the country's tennis federation.

 

[Stensland]

tennis in germany is still a "classy" sport. i consider myself middle-class. i think the main problem with players from the second world (no offense) is that either they're filthy effing rich (like gulbis) or poor and low-class (like djokovic) whereas tennis has always been a middle-class sport player-wise and audience-wise.

i guess that's why many people in the western world have problems with the antics of eastern europeans for example (dementieva, djokovic, myskina, sharapova etc.). they have a different background and had to fight for everything they have now. boris becker would be well off even of he didn't play tennis. sport wasn't his silver lining back in the day, but it apparently was for djokovic for example. tennis was his way out of misery, figuratively, just like the ghetto kids in brazil play football to make a living.

 

[Herdwick]

I always thought that Nole's family was fine off economically- they ran their restaurant when he was young and I always thought he was fairly comfortable.

Here in the US- you can say that individual's actions lack class regardless of their socio-economic background. And I don't think that the majority of posters who find fault with some of Nole's actions and that of his family are doing it as a class - or national- issue, but in fact because they may not think that everything he and they do is wonderful.

To clarify; the British view of class is not really based on financial considerations - there is more to it than that. Class in the UK is best summed up as a perceived social rank combined with a shared outlook/set of prejudices.

 

[Clara Bow]

r poor and low-class (like djokovic)

Where has it been stated that Nole grew up poor? I have always thought that the family was comfortable enough and middle class.

I think that Ljubicic, for example, had a much, much more hardscrabble background.

 

[Svetlana.]

Another contribution to Spartan-vs-Ballet tennis dispute. Tennis really should outgrow its fancy-colonialistic-Sunday-entertainment-for-stonefaced-wrinkled-aristocrats origin and status. Those can keep their polo and cricket (no one would mind), but tennis should become a true gladiator sport.

As for Rooney, his "classy" critics can really just s*** his c***.

Sharapova was not even close to be wealthy when she came to the USA, but she's always been very graceful and keep/has respect for old traditions. I like tennis the way it is and would not like it to become a gladiator sport. If you are bored watching tennis then you should become a fan of other sport.

 

[NinaNina19]

Djokovic's parents were rich actually for your imformation. They owned several restaurants.

 

[Bascule]

Novak's mother, as I know, has finished the sport university, and she was for a long time skiing instructor, as his father was. But, anyway, they belong to the group of lucky ones, cause they had money for Nole's tennis academy back in Germany. My friend came from Paris with her son, she pays his tennis lessons 60 eu in Paris, in Belgrade it is 20 eu for a lesson. But, if an electro engineer here in Serbia has 5000 eu a year (and that's good salary here), forget about tennis (you can only watch).
So, we are working class, that means we are classy.

 

[Herdwick]

Djokovic's parents were rich actually for your imformation. They owned several restaurants.

Not so, if this is to be believed:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/sports/tennis/29tennis.html?ref=tennis

 

[NinaNina19]

It is actually less than 20 euros. I went to Partizan, a sports club in Belgrade, to get lessons this summer while I was visiting my family and it was 15 euros per lesson (20 dollars).

 

[Stensland]

so why does djokovic continue to point out that his whole family sacrificed a lot just to make him play tennis? that wouldn't make any sense, as it's not that hard to buy a racquet and just hit the court with friends. doesn't need to be the best racquet anyways.

*edit: ok, the link provided above this post explains his background. turns out i was right.

 

[NinaNina19]

Not so, if this is to be believed:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/sports/tennis/29tennis.html?ref=tennis

They're over-dramatizing his story. He was wealthy. It's well-known. The only thing is that being wealthy in Serbia is different than being wealthy in other European countries, but nonetheless his parents were fairly well off. I mean they owned several restaurants. That really says it all.

 

[Stensland]

They're over-dramatizing his story. He was wealthy. It's well-known. The only thing is that being wealthy in Serbia is different than being wealthy in other European countries, but nonetheless his parents were fairly well off. I mean they owned several restaurants. That really says it all.

why would djokovic lie about his background if facts like the ones you believe are (supposedly) well-known? that doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Bascule]

Because, his tennis probably cost a lot. Wealthy people here are as wealthy as your middle class is.

 

[zicofirol]

im billionaire rich.

 

[Stensland]

Because, his tennis probably cost a lot. Wealthy people here are as wealthy as your middle class is.

maybe, but prices for tennis would exponentially decrease, i'd suppose, meaning: if the average of the population earns less than the western europeans, tennis lessons are probably a little cheaper as well. otherwise tennis would simply die as there are not enough people around who are able to pay for the sport.

learning the piano is way more expensive in germany than in poland, for example, even if it's the same thing of course.

 

[Bascule]

It is actually less than 20 euros. I went to Partizan, a sports club in Belgrade, to get lessons this summer while I was visiting my family and it was 15 euros per lesson (20 dollars).

Oh, give me a break. To me it's the same: 15 or 20, I can't pay anyway.
My friend took her son to the tennis lessons and she told me so, and maybe because the instructor was some ex Troicki's instructor.