Have we talked about obnoxious match celebrations before? I feel like we have, but I don’t want to scroll through my whole site to figure it out. Besides, we have new, fun material to talk about.
A number of weeks ago, everyone’s favorite love-to-hate player Nick Kyrgios threw some shade at a few of the game’s top stars. He called out Rafa Nadal for being “salty” and Fernando Verdasco for arrogance.
But he saved his best shade for Novak Djokovic:
“I just feel like he has a sick obsession with wanting to be liked. He just wants to be like Roger….This whole celebration thing that he does after matches, it’s like so cringeworthy. It’s very cringeworthy.”
Have you seen Djokovic’s celebratory ritual? I couldn’t help but laugh at Kyrgios’s characterization. Cringing describes my reaction perfectly.
And it’s not just me and Kyrgios. Djokovic’s ridiculous “I give you my heart” pantomime rubs other people the wrong way, too–so much so that someone coined a term for it: Boob throwing.
Here’s the start of the Serb’s celebration:
See how he’s cradling his imaginary boobs? By the looks of it, they’re pretty impressive–he’s hefting at least a D cup here.
Then he throws his knockers to the audience:
He performs this stupid move four times, once to each side of the stadium. Hey, he’s an inclusive guy. I imagine him channeling Oprah: “YOU get a boob! And YOU get a boob!”
In comparison, my own victory routine is tame and lame, just a high five or hug with my partner. Maybe I should step up my game and try boob throwing. Because, you know, I actually have boobs to throw at people, although frankly it’s never occurred to me to do so.
What about other victory celebrations? What about Simona Halep and Juan Martin del Potro, who cross themselves and blow a kiss to the sky, thanking their Creator after each victory? Or Nadal’s habit of raising his arms and throwing his head back in dramatic relief, even after predictably routine wins? Or Serena’s ballerina twirl? Anyone bothered by these?
I will never be able to look at Djokovic’s antics the same after this post. I always prefer a more classic and low key style, but to win these grand slams, a person needs to be made of something different–loving attention and standing out. So, no it doesn’t bother me. For the record, I love most Serena’s ballerina twirl. Hope we see it again in a final this year.
Good point. And I agree–I’d like to see the twirl when she ties, then beats, Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record. She certainly deserves it.
Although I was crushed by Roger squandering those two match points, I must give major props to Novak. Through his amazing play on the court and his philanthropy, he has more than earned any victory celebration he wants. Next time I win (which will happen tomorrow night stealing your partner Cécile) I will 100% be throwing the boobs all over BSC!
😂Would love to see that, although you better not be throwing the boobs at BSC. It’s an away match in Waltham.
I want a video of your victory celebration.
It really does look like he is throwing boobs! Poor guy. Clearly that wasn’t his intent, but once the reference has been made, you just can’t see it any other way.
I agree that at this level, players should get whatever celebration they want. Personally, I find it disturbing to think the Creator would support one tennis player over another. But if a player wants to express thanks in a way that’s personally meaningful and feels grateful, that seems fine.
Yes, let’s see more ballerina twirls! They show such youthful enthusiasm and remind me of Serena’s earlier days — gushing at a victory with such a joyful move.
Have you blogged about expressions of disgust and how the losers behave? I seem to recall something you wrote about that topic, which can definitely provoke a strong reaction.
The difficult part about the boob throwing is that now that Kyrgios has called him out on it, Djokovic can’t really change it. Djokovic had to reply, of course, that Kyrgios’s comment didn’t bother him. Having said it didn’t bother him, he can’t now change it, even though he has to be aware now that people are calling it boob throwing. It’s quite the conundrum. However, he now has 16 Grand Slams to Kyrgios’s zero, which may alleviate the sting somewhat.
I have mixed feelings about the “thanking your Creator” move, for the reason you name. I’m all for gratitude and humility, though. Maybe it would be better to thank one’s Creator in private.
I’m just a crank, finding fault with everyone.
Did I blog about losers? I’m sure I did. I don’t always lose as graciously as I should. I know how it should be done–without excuses, without taking attention off the winners–but I don’t always live up to the standard. Progress…
I have read that Novak is really popular among the players. If he hopes to get a little more love from the fans, so be it!
A lot of pro-Novak people here! Someone should tell him about this blog!
Instead of the boob throwing, I’d rather he go back to his player impressions. Those were a riot! I think he’d have more fans if he did those–especially if he did one of Kyrgios.