“If he was American, he would have a statue in every city,” Novak Djokovic’s nationality sees him being discriminated in coverage by media claims Marion Bartoli
Marion Bartoli talks about the popularity of Novak Djokovic .
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Marion Bartoli (L) and Novak Djokovic (R) (Credits: Pickwise and The Economic Times)
Former French player Marion Bartoli expressed her opinion on the treatment of the media towards world No. 1 star Novak Djokovic. The former Wimbledon champion believes that had Djokovic been a native of a large country like America, he would have been much more popular and liked.
She believes that since he is from a small Slavic country like Serbia, he does not get much media coverage. With his achievements, if he had been from another country like America, he would have had a statue in every city. The Frenchwoman lists down all the accomplishments of Djokovic and argues that instead of being an issue of likability, it is more about being publicized.
Bartoli mentioned that the Serbian ace has 24 Grand Slam titles, 39 Masters 1000, 6 year-end Masters, the record weeks as world number 1, the record seasons completed as number 1, and 36 Grand Slam finals in 72 participations. The 38-year-old feels that the bias towards Western Europe and America has made him less popular, as he comes from a country with a recent turbulent past.
She was quoted saying, “What I explain is that with this track record, if he had been American or came from Western Europe, it would be even more covered. I’m talking about the international press,” to TJ Sports USA.
Novak Djokovic talks about why he is less liked
The Serbian star Novak Djokovic revealed that, in the beginning, he felt that he wasn’t welcome on the tennis scene. As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had taken their place as the much-loved rivals in the sport, Djokovic felt like there was no room for three people.
Federer and Nadal had already established themselves as great tennis players before the World No. 1 had even won a grand slam title. The fans were not in favor of a third person coming in between their favorite players.
In an interview with John McEnroe for ESPN, Djokovic spoke about the three-way dynamic between him and the friendly duo.
Djokovic was quoted saying, “The rivalry with Nadal and Federer, and I kind of put myself in the mix. In a way, for many years, I felt like there was no room for three so I had to deal with that.”
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Tanisha Kapoor
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