“We all know what Messi does is rig awards” – Novak Djokovic’s fans berate TIME after they name Lionel Messi as 2023 Athlete of the Year despite Nole winning three Grand Slams 

Novak Djokovic fans are furious with Messi winning the Athlete of the Year award.

“We all know what Messi does is rig awards” – Novak Djokovic’s fans berate TIME after they name Lionel Messi as 2023 Athlete of the Year despite Nole winning three Grand Slams 

Novak Djokovic and Lionel Messi (Via Open Source)

Time has officially chosen its athlete of the year and Lionel Messi ends the year with yet another award under his belt. While Messi fans would be on cloud 9, it is the complete opposite in the tennis world where the fans of Novak Djokovic are furious with the selections and are not hesitating to fire shots at the footballer. 

Lionel Messi is arguably one of the best footballers of the year, with his famous free-kick shot that won his team the match. However, tennis fans believe that the World No. 1 Djokovic should have been awarded as the best athlete for winning 3 Grand Slam titles this year along with the ATP Finals to finish the season off.

This decision by Time Magazine left the fans steaming and they are continuously targeting the footballer. 

Novak Djokovic should have won this easily, but we all know what Messi does is rig awards.
Fan wrote on X

While many may have mixed reactions to this, it is not the first time Messi seemed to take the award despite being a better athlete out there. He recently won the Ballon d’Or award for his skills over Erling Haaland’s goal-scoring stampede in a single premier league season.

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here are some more comments from the fans:

https://twitter.com/Elontruss10/status/1732062500395307028

Novak Djokovic scripts history by finishing the season as World No. 1 for the 8th time

2023 has been exceptional for the 36-year-old Djokovic, who managed to break many records throughout the year and finished the season by breaking another one. By ending the 2023 season as world number 1 for the 8th time in his career, the Serbian easily crossed 400 weeks on top of the hill.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via CBS sports)

After winning his 10th Australian title, Djokovic continued his form throughout the year, managing to win three other titles along the way along with qualifying his team for the Davis Cup.

He also engaged in a to-and-fro battle with youngster Carlos Alcaraz for the top position but soon secured his place after a commendable US Open victory followed by back-to-back wins at the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals.

However, the 36-year-old couldn’t end his year on a winning note as Italian Jannik Sinner beat him twice in a day. With a new year to commence, the tennis world will be eager to witness another Djokovic special.

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