Novak Djokovic shows true colours as Alexander Zverev taken aback by Wimbledon exchange

World No 3 Alexander Zverev was left astonished by Novak Djokovic after the pair held an honest conversation ahead of Wimbledon. Zverev revealed he sought advice from Djokovic after their practice session and couldn't believe how forthcoming the Serb was, considering he will be one of his rivals at SW19.

Despite being heralded as arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Djokovic's career has been dotted by controversies that have harmed his reputation in certain sectors. But while he may not share the same likeability levels as some of the game's more affable icons, Djokovic is nothing if not a gentleman. Or at least that's Zverev's impression of the 24-time Grand Slam champion after a recent practice session at the All England Club ahead of this year's Wimbledon Championships. And their friendly exchange has left the German with the opinion that there's a skewed perception of Djokovic in the wider tennis community.

"Yesterday I practiced with him and I was asking him questions about my service and I was asking questions about the return and what he was focusing on," he told tennis365 at an Adidas event in London. "You might think he is five or six in the world and I'm No 3 in the world and we might be competing at Wimbledon at some point, so he might not want to answer my questions.

"But he is so generous, and he took his time to answer and to give me suggestions. I'm not sure anybody else in the world will do that to a direct competitor of his."

It was back in January that Djokovic was booed in Melbourne when he withdrew during his Australian Open semi-final against Zverev. The 38-year-old lost a first-set tiebreak against the German before bowing out, which led to a chorus of jeers from the home crowd.

Despite being a 10-time winner Down Under, Djokovic's profile in Australia took a major hit when he was deported from the country after travelling for the 2022 tournament despite being unvaccinated against Covid-19. However, he still remains popular to some in the country, with Australian Open director Craig Tiley even suggesting earlier this year that a statue should be erected at Melbourne Park in the Serb's honour.

"I think he gets a lot of undeserved hate," added Zverev. "Obviously, Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] are probably two of the most loved athletes of all time, right? They're probably both in the top 10 of the most loved athletes of all time.

"And Novak was spoiling the party a lot for the fans. But you know, all I can say is Novak is genuinely a good guy."

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As noted by Zverev, Djokovic's advice to his peer on the eve of Wimbledon is particularly generous, considering the pair could meet at SW19 this year. However, after being drawn on opposite sides of the bracket, their only chance of being reunited in the singles competition would be in the final.