The ‘Big 3’ of tennis- Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are amongst the most admired and revered sportsperson of the modern era. These three men have amassed a huge fan base over the course of their long and illustrious careers.
While all three of them have attained legendary status in tennis, many believe that there is a visible difference in their statures amongst fans. Nadal and Federer have formed a long-standing rivalry in tennis, which has drawn a lot of attention and fanfare over the years. This kind of history between Nadal and Federer has given these two-man an edge in public adoration aver Novak Djokovic.
Former American tennis player Todd Martin recently concurred with this notion. Martin believes that while Federer and Nadal might outrun Djokovic in terms of public admiration. Djokovic has surely one of the most hard-working athletes, who has a never-die attitude and higher mental strength than most of his contemporaries.
He is no third wheel from a capability standpoint: Todd Martin
Former World No.4, Todd Martin recently sat down with Kevin Palmer and expressed his thoughts on Djokovic and how he fairs amongst Big 3 in terms of public admiration.
Martin started by saying, “One of the beauties of life is that life is not fair.” He then says, “Novak is the third wheel from a public adoration standpoint. But his achievements have proved that he is no third wheel from a capability standpoint.”
Though Djokovic lacks behind in public admiration in comparison to Federer and Nadal, he at he top when it comes to physical and mental strength. “Having worked with him, when he is focused he has that ‘I’m going through a brick wall’ mentality. Now he is not always as focused, but when he is and we have seen this for long stretches, he doesn’t have to play great,” Martin said.
Todd Martin concludes by saying, “He is that much of a fighter and thrives on it.”
Also read: Novak Djokovic reveals his daily routine, says “I start the day with a smile”
