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

Drinking warm water, eating grass and shouting at ball boys all help make him number one.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC IS currently the number one tennis player in the world, and the highest-ranked men’s player on Business Insider‘s list of the most dominant athletes alive.

And he might also be the quirkiest.

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

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

Michel Euler / AP/Press Association Images Michel Euler / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

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

Pavel Golovkin / AP/Press Association Images Pavel Golovkin / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

3. 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.”

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

Senma Bozlak / YouTube

5. 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.

6. 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.

Bernat Armangue / AP/Press Association Images Bernat Armangue / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

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

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

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

PlayBraveSports / YouTube

10. He furtively eats bananas during changeovers.

Aaron Favila / AP/Press Association Images Aaron Favila / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

11. 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.

ATP World Tour ATP World Tour

12. 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.”

Shuji Kajiyama ShujiShuji Kajiyama Shuji / AP/Press Association Images Shuji Kajiyama ShujiShuji Kajiyama Shuji / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

- Tony Manfred & Emmie Martin, Business Insider

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