With no doubt, Roger Federer and Rafael are the two most loved tennis players in the world. They command a large following in terms of fans who on many occasions have been one of the most contributing factors to their exemplary ATP performances. No wonder they have been able to maintain their great dominance in tennis till now.
Unfortunately, the current world number one, Novak Djokovic might not have the same number of fan base. It is believed that the Serb only enjoys a mere ten percent of tennis fans. Ever since he made his mark in the tennis world, Novak has had to deal with a lot of jeers from tennis fans while coming against either Nadal or Federer.
The crowd cheering for Federer in the Wimbledon final
Novak’s harsh treatment from a large section of tennis fans seems to be affecting her mother so much. Recently, Dijana Djokovic explained to GQ magazine just how her son’s mistreatment is affecting her.
Novak has had to take in whatever Nadal and Federer’s fans say at him while he is in action. The spectators have enjoyed insulting the Serbian tennis player whenever he comes against either of the two most loved tennis players. While playing against Federer in the Wimbledon final he had to put up with the great fanbase which rallied behind the Swiss.
Talking about the fan cheering for Federer or Nadal, Dijana commented:
“Yes. I can feel that. I feel it in Australia, New York, London. It’s [less] so in Paris. He stole their hearts when he started to speak French. Honestly I don’t know. He’s so nice, he’s polite, he works so hard. But people don’t appreciate it because he is playing tennis in the era of Federer and Nadal.”
The irony
Fortunately for Novak, he has managed to overcome the pressure from fans to defeating both Nadal and Federer. Currently, the Serbian tennis player has an amazing head to head stats against the two. Novak has always relied on his positive mindset and fighting spirit to beat his worthy competitors. Furthermore, he has a unique way of intimidating his opponents. His secret weapon has paid off.
Novak Djokovic withstand the pressure
So far so good for the world number one tennis player, but the question is, just how far will he go before cracking?. Fans have a way of annoying players with even the best characters. Perhaps it is just a matter of time before Novak Djokovic gives in to the pressure.
Already her mother is being affected adversely by whatever her son has to go throw while playing not only Nadal but also Federer. But as the Swiss approaches retirement, some fans would opt to switch allegiance and join his bandwagon. Besides, the Serbian has a great fighting spirit and jovial nature traits enough to attract significant support from tennis fans.
Novak Djokovic’s injury
The US open 2019 saw Djokovic bow out in the fourth round after sustaining an injury. Not only was he defeated by Stan Wawrinka but also tennis fans relentlessly jeered him. Besides, tennis fans have always been revering at her whenever he made mistakes in the previous matches.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019
Currently ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 11th of October when he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.
This year Djokovic has a 48-9 win-loss record. Novak clinched 4 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon and in Tokyo. Djokovic was the finalist in Rome.
Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
