Patrick Mouratoglou has once again made an eye-opening statement. Serena Williams’ former coach believes that many do not like Novak Djokovic as much as he should be, because the Serb broke the Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer duopoly in tennis that existed at one point of time. Djokovic began a great run in 2011, winning 3 Grand Slam titles in the same year.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer took the game by storm starting from the mid-2000s. But according to Mouratoglou, Djokovic is the biggest name in tennis now and virtually a demi-god in Serbia. Djokovic has more than 14 million followers on Instagram and is the only legend currently standing a chance to dominate the game or be in the top 5 of the rankings. Mouratoglou believes that the 24-time Grand Slam champion will be missed dearly after he retires from the game and as a result, urged fans to value him till he plays.
But Mouratoglou has found many critics with his latest thoughts. They voiced it out on social media and claim that Djokovic is an antagonist to a huge extent because of other multiple reasons rather than defeating Nadal and Federer consistently. There is another school of thought that Djokovic comes across as too strong and not so impressionable, making him perhaps look more arrogant. However, Mouratoglou did get his share of support as well by some fans.
Mouratoglou says crowds hated Djokovic for beating Federer & Nadal:
“Rafa & Roger were the biggest superstars of tennis, but Novak came in & beat both of them & the crowds hated him for that. I think he is booed for other reasons as well. He says he doesn’t like this negativity,… pic.twitter.com/E98dKqlvXy
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 17, 2023
It has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with beating Rafael and Roger.
Victim mentality is a disease and a byproduct of narcissistic gaslighting .
When you point fingers at everyone else in the room for all your problems and take zero accountability for your actions, that is hubris…
— Professor Nez (@professornez) December 17, 2023
I actually agree with this take almost entirely. However, I would not use the word hate. I think there are fans who don’t like some of his tactics and demeanor on the court more than anything.
— Marco (@Mrey55) December 17, 2023
We should keep in mind that without Nadal and Federer pushing him @DjokerNole would not have reached the level of tennis that he plays. It’s now his turn to push others (Sinner, Alcaraz) beyond him. But he’s a champion, and will not go quietly.
— Arthur Hoyle (@arthoyle) December 17, 2023
I don’t think that’s the real reason. Normally fans support the underdog, and he would have been the underdog at the time.
I couldn’t careless if he beat those two and I’m still not a fan. I think it’s his personality.— Meaza Jimie (@MeazaJimie) December 17, 2023
I think it’s more about Novak’s personality. He’s always the centre of fans ill attitude. I do agree that fans are sometimes a handful. But Novak needs to look in the mirror, I hope he’s not protraying a personality that invites the negativism.
— Mr Khalif (@IdrisKhalif) December 17, 2023
Disagree that Djokovic isn’t a crowd favorite because he beat Fed and Nadal. By that logic, Alcaraz should be unpopular. He beats Rafa and Djokovic, and everyone loves him.
— GeeDee☮️ (@Silvered_Mane) December 17, 2023
Nobody is against Djokovic. But he is not better than Nadal and federer.
— Roberto Roig (@RobertoRoig) December 17, 2023
Rubbish ! Same crowd hated Medvedev for beating Djokovic . It’s his personality , not his tennis which crowd dislikes .
— Anka (@Anna_Wooll) December 17, 2023
He is very smart. As soon as he gets bad press, he comes out and says things that will boost his fanbase, knowing how social media works. The thing is, I really respect his tennis knowledge and training mindset. But one heck of a calculator of consequences.
— Tom (@ETFroggy) December 17, 2023
Novak Djokovic believes that he is not given the respect that he deserves in the western world, largely because of media bias. It is why fans believe that overall, there is a bias towards Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal than the Serb.
Novak Djokovic leading the GOAT debate
Djokovic is ahead in the GOAT debate by far, despite some negative comments against him. Roger Federer was the first to achieve the 20 Grand Slam titles landmark. Rafael Nadal is unlikely to add to his tally of 22 wins. It is likely that the World No.1 would end his career easily above 25 Grand Slams.
The Serb has the opportunity to win the two honours that have eluded him throughout his career in 2024, an Olympics gold medal and the Davis Cup title. Rafael Nadal has won both of them, while Roger Federer has won an Olympic gold but in the men’s doubles category with Stan Wawrinka. Novak Djokovic also has an opportunity to tie Roger Federer with the most Wimbledon titles ever (8) and 5 US Open titles.
