Advertisement

Fact check: Novak Djokovic wasn't referring to Simone Biles when he said 'pressure is a privilege'

The claim: Commenting on Simone Biles, Novak Djokovic said 'pressure is a privilege.' Two days later, he had a 'meltdown' and skipped his match.

Amid talk about athletes' mental health at the Tokyo Olympics, some people are making comparisons between Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic and U.S. champion gymnast Simone Biles.

Biles, a four-time Olympic gold-medalist, withdrew from the final round of individual events at the Games this year, citing mental health concerns. Her decision was both critiqued and praised by commentators on social media.

A widely shared meme claims Djokovic criticized Biles' withdrawal from the events when he said: "Pressure is a privilege, my friend. Without pressure, there is no professional sport. If you are aiming to be at the top of the game you better start learning how to deal with pressure and how to cope with those moments."

The Aug. 2 Facebook post hints at hypocrisy, claiming Djokovic went on to smash his racket and pull out of a match during a "meltdown" just a couple of days after he made those comments.

The same meme has been shared to various platforms, including Twitter, Reddit and news sites.

While it's true that Djokovic said this, his remarks and the ensuing happenings are misrepresented here. He was talking about his own experience, and he pulled out of his mixed-doubles match citing injuries.

Fact check: Video claiming NBC producer was caught on a hot mic at Olympics isn't real

The Facebook page that shared the post did not return a request for comment.

Comment taken out of context

International Tennis Federation spokesman Nick Imison told USA TODAY via email that Djokovic's comment on July 28 was about himself, "in the context of Biles but not about her."

Reuters reporter Sudipto Ganguly brought up Biles in passing when he asked Djokovic about the pressure of attempting to earn a Golden Slam – winning all four tennis majors and the Olympic gold medal in the same year.

Ganguly said: “Novak, you would've heard about Simona Biles yesterday talking about mental health and the pressure of performing. You are in this position going for the golden slam, you know, there is no more pressure on a tennis player than you currently. Can you speak a bit about it?”

The posts online do not include Djokovic's full response, in which he said he learns to cope with all the attention on him "on the court but also off the court, all the expectations."

The court reference clarifies Djokovic was talking about himself, since that reference wouldn't make sense for a gymnast.

Ganguly tweeted that Djokovic's reply to his question was taken out of context on social media.

This isn't the first time Djokovic has said, "pressure is a privilege." He made the same comment in a September 2020 interview, citing tennis icon Billie Jean King, whose 2008 autobiography is titled "Pressure is a Privilege." Djokovic said he "stands by that kind of quote."

Djokovic pulls out due to injuries

It's true that Djokovic threw his racket after losing his bronze medal singles match, then withdrew from his mixed-doubles match following his comments about pressure.

But the posts fail to mention that he cited a physical injury to his left shoulder when he pulled out of the mixed-doubles match.

On July 31, Djokovic told Serbian reporters in Tokyo that he had been "dealing with injuries."

He added that he played under medications, "abnormal pain and exhaustion" and that his body had had "enough."

Fact check: Photo misleads about US women's national team's Olympic demonstration in Tokyo

Our rating: Missing context

The claim that Djokovic was referencing Biles when he said "pressure is a privilege," then withdrew from a match days later due to a "meltdown" is MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research because without additional details it could be misleading. Djokovic was speaking about himself when he made the comment in response to a question that mentioned Biles. Additionally, Djokovic withdrew from his mixed-doubles match citing injuries.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app, or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Novak Djokovic and Simone Biles claim is missing context