The 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic recently expressed his long-held feeling of being perceived as the 'third guy' in the world of tennis. He stated that throughout his career he believes he has not received the same level of adoration and affection from fans that was consistently shown to his esteemed rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic on 'third guy' image in tennis world
The Serbian tennis icon reflected on sharing the sport's limelight with these two legendary figures during the era when the 'Big Three' dominated men's tennis. Despite ultimately surpassing both Federer and Nadal in the total number of Grand Slam championships won, Djokovic openly acknowledged the disparity in fan support he experienced compared to the Swiss and Spanish legends.
"I was never as loved as Federer and Nadal because I was not supposed to be there. I was the little guy, the third guy who came and said I am going to be No. 1. Many people did not like that," Djokovic said in an interview.
The 38-year-old's emergence onto the global tennis scene became significant in 2007, a year in which he consistently reached the later stages of the Grand Slam tournaments. He made it to the semifinals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and then progressed to the final of the US Open. Notably, in each of these tournaments, his journey was halted by either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
By the time Novak Djokovic achieved his maiden Grand Slam victory at the 2008 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal had already secured three Grand Slam titles to his name, and Roger Federer had an impressive tally of twelve major championships. This highlights the established dominance of Federer and Nadal during the period when Djokovic was beginning to assert himself at the highest level of the sport.
"I acted and still felt like an unwanted child. I asked myself why that was. It hurt me. Then I thought the fans would accept me if I acted differently. But that was not the case either," Djokovic further added.
Following a period of intense rivalry primarily between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic's emergence onto the scene disrupted their established dominance. Djokovic steadily rose through the rankings, reaching the second position in 2010 and ultimately achieving the world number one ranking in 2011. Since then, he has gone on to surpass Federer and Nadal in virtually all significant records within men's tennis, most notably in the number of Grand Slam titles won, with a current count of 24. Despite this, Djokovic clarified that he has never harbored any resentment towards those who may not have been among his supporters.
“Just because someone is my biggest rival does not mean I wish them harm, hate them, or want to do anything else on the court to defeat them. We fought for the win, and the better player won. I have always respected both him and Federer; I have never said a single bad word about them and never will. I looked up to them and still do. But I have always gotten along better with Nadal," the 38-year-old, who is currently chasing his 25th Grand Slam, Djokovic concluded.