Jo-Wilfred Tsonga claims Novak Djokovic ‘wanted to become Federer and Nadal’ which cost him success early in his career

Novak Djokovic is the biggest superstar of the sport at the moment but he is definitely not the crowd's favorite.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga claims Novak Djokovic ‘wanted to become Federer and Nadal’ which cost him success early in his career

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga and Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (Images via Tennis Infinity, TOI)

Former French Tennis player Jo-Wilfred Tsonga has addressed the controversies surrounding Novak Djokovic. Tsonga has claimed that Djokovic was not liked in his early days because he wanted to become Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal– the two biggest superstars of the sport. The former World No.5 believes that being his true self would have fetched great support for the Serb.

Talking on the Generation Do It Yourself podcast, Tsonga talked about the crowd not liking Djokovic. He claimed that the Serbian tried to become like Federer and Nadal and lost his own identity in the process. This led to the fans not liking him. Tsonga opined that had Djokovic been his true self and honest like he is today, he would have had more support.

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Why do some people hate Djokovic? Because I think there was a period where he didn't really want to be himself. He wanted to be Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal, & maybe he should have stayed himself from the beginning.”
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga said. 
Today, he is himself, completely honest, while being divisive, & that’s also why he is appreciated by many people. He no longer does things to be appreciated but because he wants to. I think you gain a lot from being yourself.
Tsonga further opined.

Novak Djokovic hailed as a warrior by Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga who was once Novak Djokovic’s contemporary delved deep into the Serbian’s personality. The Frenchman hailed the 36-year-old as a warrior and then went on to talk about Djokovic’s struggles during his childhood. Tsonga then claimed that had Djokovic not shed his warrior image, he would have been appreciated like a gladiator.

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Jo-Tsanga-Novak-Djokovic
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, Novak Djokovic (Image via X)
He wanted to get away from this warrior image that he has, because he is a Serb, who experienced difficult things in his childhood. So he’s a warrior, he should have assumed it from the start. I think he would have been loved for that.
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga said.

Notably, there has been a lot of talk about Novak Djokovic not getting the respect he deserves. Many have shared their perception of the reason behind such a treatment for the Serb. While Patrick Mouratoglou believes it is because some Nadal and Federer fans don’t like Djokovic for leaving them behind, a few feel the Serbian draws inspiration from such hostile environments.

Meanwhile, the 36-year-old has revealed that like any normal player, he also enjoys playing in a supportive environment. Although he has become used to thriving in hostile environments, Djokovic said he would prefer playing in a stadium where the crowd is behind him and not against him.

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