Is Novak Djokovic the most eccentric man in tennis? He ate grass off the Wimbledon court after beating Nick Kyrgios, refuses to get his Covid-19 vaccination, and adores his poodle Pierre
- After Djokovic beat Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon, fans knew what was coming next – the tennis star plucked a tuft of grass from Centre Court, and began chewing
- Not everyone is on board with his quirky habits, like his knack for excessive tennis ball-bouncing, but is his flexibility the secret to his on-court success?
If you’re curious to know how his antics sets him apart from the rest, here are five crazy, or rather, weirdly amusing things to know about the tennis champion.
Each time he wins at Wimbledon, he eats grass off the court
Djokovic’s fans know him as the GOAT (greatest of all time) thanks to his stellar performances on court, but the 35-year-old has earned himself a reputation for behaving like the animal too. Why? Because he literally eats grass.
The world knows how special Wimbledon is for Djokovic, who dreamed of winning the tournament from a young age. So when he first won it in 2011, he began the crazy tradition of actually eating blades of grass plucked from Centre Court after his victory.
“I didn’t know what to do from the emotions that I had at that moment. It was an incredible feeling so the tasting of the grass came spontaneously. It tasted really good!” he explained afterwards.
He wants his pet poodles to go everywhere with him
Djokovic is a father of four – his children are Stefan, 7, Tara, 4, and his fur babies, poodles Pierre and Tesla. Pierre has even appeared with Djokovic on the cover of L’uomo Vogue.