Novak Djokovic has long battled the notion of being less likeable than Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. He has even been pushed as a pantomime villain at times. However, over time, he has seen himself being more accepted and loved. Now, an old photo has resurfaced online of the Serb’s kind gesture to Nadal and the former has won hearts as a result.
Nadal and Djokovic battled it out for 5 hours and 53 minutes in the final of the 2012 Australian Open. That match still holds the record for the longest Grand Slam final in history by duration. Nadal, the then World No.2, won the first set but Djokovic, then also World No.1, bounced back to lift the title after a historic and exhausting five-setter. He won 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5), 7–5 for his fifth Grand Slam title, which was his third in Australia.
The players were so worn out after the titanic clash that they were given chairs to sit on during the post-match ceremonies and trophy presentations. A throwback photo shared by a popular fan page on Facebook showed Djokovic offering Nadal a bottle of water. The comments gushed with appreciation for Djokovic gracious gesture after toiling hard for victory.
Djokovic has often admitted he is not friends with either Federer or Nadal. With the latter, especially, he has had a history of arguments and potshots. However, despite not being on the best terms personally, the duo respect each other’s achievements in the sport. This mutual respect has increased in recent years. During their 2012 AO Final, though, tempers were on edge.
Novak Djokovic remains unaffected with Federer and Nadal comparisons
With his on-court exploits in recent years, Novak Djokovic has met with widespread acceptance as the GOAT. He leads the field in almost every statistical metric, including a record 24 Grand Slams. Even Rafael Nadal conceded that the Serb has pulled ahead of him in the race to be the greatest of all time.
However, fans of the Spaniard and Roger Federer refuse to acknowledge Novak Djokovic as the GOAT despite his numerical supremacy. The sentiment against him is strengthened by some controversies surrounding him. For example, his anti-vaccination stance that caused him to miss two Grand Slam events or his disqualification from the 2020 US Open for accidentally hitting a line judge. He, though, has his own legion of loyal fans that hail him as not only the best tennis player but one of the best athletes across sport.
Over the years, he has converted many more neutrals into his fans. However, it seems he will always have a distinct and loud section of detractors who paint him as a villain and interloper.
Regardless of this off-court noise, Djokovic continues to motor along on the court. His 2024 Australian Open trophy hunt is up and running. At the time of writing, he bagged the first set against Taylor Fritz in the quarter-final. Even at 36, he shows no signs of slowing down and recently talked about playing until 40. While he has seemingly made peace with the fact that he will always have haters, he will hope to add more titles to his burgeoning cabinet and let his tennis do the talking and possibly convert them into fans.
