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12 strange habits that make Novak Djokovic the most interesting man in tennis

Tony Manfred and Emmie Martin

2015-05-10T17:08:00Z

Djokovic eating grass 2014 — After winning his second Wimbledon title, Djokovic took a taste of the court. Al Bello/Getty Images

Novak Djokovic is currently the No. 1 tennis player in the world, and the highest-ranked men's player on our list of the most dominant athletes alive.

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And he might also be the quirkiest.

From eating the grass at Wimbledon to handing out chocolates to the media, Djokovic's definitely a colorful person — who happens to be the best in the world at his sport.

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He only drinks warm water. He says cold water inhibits blood flow.

novak djokovic drinking water

Source: WSJ

He's eaten grass after every win at Wimbledon. He says it tastes like sweat.

Djokovic eating grass 2014

Source: The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated

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He's inseparable from his pet poodle Pierre. When Pierre wasn't allowed in Wimbledon in 2011, a source told the Telegraph, "Whenever he can he takes the dog with him, he is genuinely upset. For him this is a very serious issue."

novak djokovic dog jelena

Source: Telegraph

He talks to himself while he plays, and once yelled out loud in Serbian, "Now you all will sk my d*." Recently, he yelled at a ball boy who startled him during the Miami Open. He later apologized for the incident.

Djokovic yells at ball boy

Source: The New Yorker, The Daily Mail

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He bounces the ball up to two dozen times on every serve. In 2008, an infuriated opponent even turned his back to Novak as he bounced the ball.

Novak Djokovic

Here's a video of him bouncing it 29 times in a row »

Source: NY Times

He tends to feign injury if he gets down in big matches, and has been accused of pretending to be hurt by multiple opponents. Recently, his antics at the 2015 Australian Open landed him under speculation of faking an injury during his match against Andy Murray.

Djokovic Australian Open 2015 — Djokovic during the 2015 Australian Open. Patrick Scala/Getty Images

Source: ESPN, Fox Sports

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He likes to troll the crowd, including the time he ripped American Andy Roddick after beating him in New York City.

novak djokovic troll crowd

Watch the video:

He stopped eating gluten, dairy and certain types of tomatoes, and instantly became the best player in the world.

novak djokovic healthy diety

Source: The New Yorker

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He used to impersonate fellow players, including Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova. He even did one of his coach, Boris Becker.

Here's his best Sharapova impersonation:

He furtively eats bananas during changeovers.

novak djokovic eats a banana

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He's obsessed with dancing, in all forms. He even attributed his dance moves to helping him defeat Andrey Golubev at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships earlier this year.

novak djokovic lawnmower

via Timothy Burke

Source: ATP World Tour

During press conferences, he's been known to stop talking and distribute chocolate to the media, a habit he refers to as his "little tradition."

Novak Djokovic chocolate

Source: ESPN, USA Today

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Now see the full list

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The 50 most dominant athletes alive >

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