Before 2023 ends, Novak Djokovic is sure to win a lot of honors, but he won’t be taking home one of the most important titles on the ATP Tour.
Every time Djokovic loses a match, his supporters like to point out how kind he is to his opponent. This was evident in both the ATP Final and the Davis Cup matches, where Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner.
Even though Djokovic is the most distinguished player in the modern game, there has always been a belief that he will never be as popular as other tennis players outside of his own inner circle.
Every year, when the ATP Sportsmanship Award is given out, Djokovic’s name is never considered for the honor. Despite Djokovic’s repeated victories in the biggest events in the game, he is consistently disregarded when the fans’ favorite award is given out to the most popular player in the game.
From 2003 to 2021, Roger Federer was the ATP Fans’ Favorite Award winner. His winning streak of over ten years demonstrated his enduring appeal in the sport.
Although Djokovic may have given up trying to understand why the general tennis community may never love him, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli has her thoughts on the matter.
Bartoli expressed his thoughts and said: “I just feel that Novak raises himself and is even stronger when he is against adversity. He likes to play and compete against it. It was more the timing than anything else. When you talk to all the players and the fans around the world, people like Novak’s personality and they have so much respect for his game.”
He added: “But one was for Roger, the elegance, against Rafa the grinder, who has won 14 times at Roland Garros. But you can’t really go to the third one. If Novak had played just one other player, I think he would have had a much bigger fan base. So I think he has gained the respect from everyone, but in terms of the love, this is slightly different. It’s just human nature to cheer for one or the other and you don’t want the third one.”
The 13 (THIRTEEN) time winner of the ATP Sportsmanship of the year winner, Roger Federer.
A reminder that they told us that Novak Djokovic can't win this award because he smashes rackets.pic.twitter.com/ukvvKUmMlj
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) November 30, 2023
Novak Djokovic in 2023
WWWWLWWLWL Now ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 25th of November when he lost to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Until now, during this year Novak owns a 56-7 record. Djokovic clinched 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Novak was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
