“Would not be the case if it was Federer or Nadal,” Novak Djokovic gets support from Nicolas Mahut amid the lack of appreciation for the Serb compared to his rivals
Nicolas Mahut believes Novak Djokovic has been the subject of unfair criticism despite lofty achievements.
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Nicolas Mahut, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer
Serbian tennis champ Novak Djokovic is the man of the hour. After his record-extending 10th title in the Australian Open in January, the 35-year-old climbed back to the top of the ATP rankings. Now after accumulating 378 weeks at the top, Djokovic has surpassed Steffi Graf in the all-time record for most weeks as the No. 1 as well.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion rose to the pinnacle for the first time in July 2011. The season was also his greatest yet. Now, less than 12 years later, Djokovic has scaled this monumental feat which many believed to be unachievable.
Despite reaching this milestone, Djokovic has fallen short in the battle of perception in his whole career. This is even more true when compared with his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. This demonizing of Djokovic was most evident in the fortnight of the 2023 Australian Open.
Nicolas Mahut, the French former World No. 1 in doubles, addressed this false narrative around Djokovic. He believes that Djokovic’s rivals would not have faced such negativities and that is not fair to the Serb.
“Even if he breaks all the records, there will always be a debate (GOAT), which would not be the case if it was Federer or Nadal. Novak is not appreciated at his fair value. I find unfair criticism of all that he has accomplished,” Mahut said.
Novak Djokovic has been immune to the censure as he continued to defy all the noise
Djokovic rose to the tennis scene when the stage was dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The duo, also cherished by fans as ‘Fedal’, were having an uncontested run before the Serb’s entry unsettled the established norms. After winning the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic disrupted Federer’s and Nadal’s streak of 11 consecutive Grand Slam tournament victories.
Fast forward to 2023, after clinching his 22nd title, Djokovic equaled the Grand Slam record of Nadal and is already ahead of the Swiss who retired last September with 20 Major titles. But, Djokovic had to consistently fight this off-court battle which the other greats of the celebrated ‘Big Three’ avoided.
Djokovic on his part kept his dedication on even when the noise reached unacceptable levels. Earlier in Dubai, he made it clear that everything he has now was the result of his dedication.
“Of course, I’m driven by the goals. I’m as dedicated to the sport really as anybody else. I obviously know that it’s not handed to me, that I have to earn it,” Djokovic declared.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)