Dear Louie,
When it comes down to it, Novak Djokovic just about has it all. His tennis game looks virtually bulletproof, leading him to the top of tennis' rankings and a haul of ten Grand Slam titles—enough to put him in a seventh place tie with Bill Tilden on the all-time Slams list. Roger Federer's all-time Grand Slam record of 17 is in range—and so is the title of Greatest of All-Time; even if Djokovic falls short of Mighty Fed's achievements, he's already punched his ticket into the Hall of Fame as one of the very best players ever. And if that's not enough, Djokovic has a great personality that sees him singing (on-court and on video), dancing, and doing on-court impressions of other players' idiosyncrasies, all while speaking at least five languages. Oh, and don't forget about his marriage to his long-time girlfriend and the birth of his first son.
So, here's the million dollar question: despite everything going in his favor as an uber-successful athlete with a likable personality and great sense of humor, why does Novak Djokovic get so little love from tennis fans? Fans at Wimbledon seemed lukewarm towards Djokovic during the final this year and fans at the US Open downright cheered Novak's mistakes. I can't specifically recall how the fans were at the French Open, but I remember finding myself cheering each of Stan's phenomenal backhands and feeling disappointed when Djokovic won a hard fought point.
Do you think part of it comes down to timing? When Novak burst onto the scene in 2007/2008 Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were already a few years deep into what was to become one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Tennis fans were picking sides like they had a personal stake in each player's winnings and maybe subconsciously fans view Djokovic as an interloper.
Or could it have something to do with Novak's amazing defensive skills and just how high he's taken his level? I mentioned earlier how bulletproof his game seems and I know that fans like to root for the underdog. Maybe fans like champions with a little bit more vulnerability? Roger's backhand—as classic and beautiful as it is—has let him down in the past, especially against Nadal's high-bouncing balls, while Nadal has frequently been weakened by injuries to his knees, back, and wrists.
What do you think? Can you think of any other reasons that Djokovic doesn't seem to get the love he deserves?
--Ryan
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Dear Ryan,
I completely agree with you Ryan, that Novak’s game is arguably the most complete in history. With an almost flawless swing and probably the best defense the game has ever seen, it’s hard to wonder why such a young, good looking and funny world #1 doesn’t get the respect that he deserves. This goes way beyond cheering for the underdog. We have lived through the ERA’s of great #1 champions in the past with both Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. So what makes Novak Djokovic so unlikeable compared to other champions?
In my opinion, I think that it’s the antics that he shows on-court that makes him unlikeable. With mysterious injury timeouts and having the reputation to take the most time between points, this may be seen as momentum breakers for what is supposed to be a prestigious and gentleman sport. These speculations are just that. What if he really was injured, or if the time between points was just to regroup and rest between long rallies; we don’t know. But what I do know is that watching matches where he has come back to win after such antics leaves me scratching my head.
I agree with you that the rise to the top was almost too quick in an era where almost every Final had at least Nadal or Federer competing for the championship. Two champions that we have grown to love because of their humble on and off-court personalities. I’m personally a pretty big fan of Novak. He is a young guy my age that is accomplishing so much for the game of tennis. Yea he has his occasional moment where he takes being cocky a little too far and can be portrayed as being arrogant, but if you look at a past champion like McEnroe that was well known for on and off-court problems is now seen as a legend and iconic figure for displaying such anger on the court.
I’m not going to lie, when Djokovic took the microphone this past US Open after defeating Federer, even though he congratulated him on a great match, it almost felt a bit fake and almost a mockery to the legend for saying that “Coming out on the court knowing that you’re probably playing the best player in the history of the game” with a smirk left me thinking, he’s saying the right things but it’s not settling well.
We have seen a similar cocky personality in former world #1 Andre Agassi. With an exciting on-court and off-court lifestyle including endorsement deals, bizarre hairstyles and dating supermodels; what makes Agassi likeable and Djokovic not? What do you think the world #1 can do to get a couple fans on his side?
--Louie
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Dear Louie,
I think you might be on to something with your thoughts on Novak's phantom injury timeouts and delay tactics; I think he's gotten better in the last few years, but I remember being particularly annoyed watching some of the earlier matches in his career. Maybe he did have some real issues with heat and breathing problems, but I'll agree that he was definitely quick to call the trainer early in his career and pulled the plug on more than a few matches. And the ball bouncing stuff really made some of his matches hard to watch. I'm still pretty quick with my DVR trigger finger if I watch a recorded Djokovic match, but it seems like it has gotten better. Maybe his early-career missteps still left a sour taste in tennis-purists' mouths?
On the other hand, I can't say that I necessarily think Djokovic's delay tactics are any worse than many other players. Nadal is a serial violator of the time rule and he's loved by plenty of fans. In fact, I'd bet that most top players probably take longer than the allotted time between points toweling off and choosing the perfect ball with which to serve. Federer may be the lone exception—by today's standards he plays at a lightning pace—but even he goes to the towel a fair amount.
I'll be honest, I didn't see Djokovic's trophy acceptance speech from this year's US Open. It was pretty late and I was disappointed to see Federer lose (even though he's still got trophies to spare), so I turned the TV off and headed up to bed right after match point. That being said, in the past, I've always thought Novak was pretty respectful of tennis' history the great players of the past and present. I know I've heard him say that without Roger and Rafa he's not sure he would've been pushed to reach such heights. But even without seeing it, I can understand your sentiment because I've heard some anti-Nadal fans say similar things about how Nadal's humility is all for show.
So, how much arrogance is too much for a championship athlete? Can players—in any sport—be the best without believing they're the best? I'm not sure what helped McEnroe become so revered, but maybe Agassi was helped along when he fell from grace and overcame everything to get back to the top. Do you think Djokovic would be embraced more if people knew more about the personal struggles in his past as he grew up in war torn Serbia? Or if he had some kind of Agassi-esque personal/professional (hopefully not, though) hiccup now? I can't help but wonder if maybe fans wouldn't realize how good tennis is right now unless it was taken away.
Also, what do you think about the style of tennis he plays? Between 15 and 20 years ago, everyone was clamoring about how boring tennis was because so many big servers were playing quick-strike tennis and points were only lasting two or three shots. Now the surfaces have slowed down across the board and baseline players like Djokovic are thriving and dominating. Is Federer embraced so universally because of his variety and somewhat old school style while Djokovic's game is viewed as boring? Is it just a case of fans always thinking the grass is greener on the other side?
--Ryan
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Dear Ryan,
I think the early – career missteps have a big role in why Djokovic rein at number one isn’t as deserving as champions before him. But that’s just it, he is following the footsteps of probably the greatest tennis player of all time; Roger Federer. Federer holds several records of the Open Era holding the world No. 1 position for 302 weeks (including 237 consecutive weeks). Doing so with such class and nobility, it’s a tough act to follow. Now I know that Nadal held the #1 position for a couple weeks after Rogers reign but Djokovic has just reached 164 weeks at #1 pressing Federer’s 237 consecutive weeks.
You’re right that past champions have had somewhat questionable humility towards their opponents. But what would be said if they weren’t courteous. I can’t even imagine the emotions I would feel after a hard fought match and having to speak in front of thousands of people. My adrenaline would say “Hell yes, I just won the US OPEN,” when in reality I should say “What an excellent match by my opponent.” Maybe the reason why their speeches sound so fake is because they already have a scripted speech ready.
People love the story of an underdog prevailing over hardships. I do agree that if people knew a little more about Novak’s upbringing and life before tennis, that they may feel more relatable to him and not just see him as a young pro athlete at the top of his game making it look easy. But why should someone’s personal life have any effect on how well they play. You don’t really care about your Doctors personal life before he performed surgery on you now would you? No, you only care about how well they have performed in the past.
Like I’ve said before, I’m a Djokovic fan. I grew up watching his battles with greats like Nadal, Federer and even saw his US OPEN Final loss to Andy Murray back in 2012. He has definitely had his share of defeats but has improved to stay more consistent winning 10 out of 18 Grand Slam Finals appearances with 3 in 2015 alone. Djokovic’s rise to the top was not an overnight success, so why is the #1 player in the world not getting the love that he deserves?
--Louie
Call & Response: Why Doesn't Djokovic Get the Love He Deserves?
