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‘Novak Djokovic will never attract the same support as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal,’ says analyst


Novak Djokovic will never attract the same level of support as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, says Australian analyst Sam Groth.

Djokovic commands enormous support, although it does usually seem to be lacking behind that of his two biggest rivals.

Groth, though, a former world number 53, says that although Djokovic is ‘incredible’ on the court, he is generally just seen as the villain to Federer’s and ‘Nadal’s heroes.

“People don’t question the severity of your injury for no reason,” said Groth, who is now a top analyst on Australian TV.

“Djokovic has a reputation for being the boy who cried wolf. Federer and Nadal needed a bad guy, and they got Djokovic”.

“Novak Djokovic tries to give an impression he doesn’t care about not being liked, but I’m not convinced that’s true.

“He will never attract the universal support they (Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) do.

“Every era needs a villain. And he’s become just that. On the court, Djokovic is nothing short of incredible.

“He’s on another level, the guy you never want in your draw. But off the court, he has done himself no favours.”


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Michael Graham, Tennishead.net Editor, has been a professional sports journalist for his whole career and is especially passionate about tennis. He's been the Editor of Tennishead.net for over 5 years and loves watching live tennis by visiting as many tournaments as possible. Michael specialises in writing in-depth features about the ATP & WTA tours.