Novak Djokovic rose to the frame while groaning beneath the shadow of other tennis greats. Surviving in the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal era, was not easy. But even after giving them tough competition, his popularity on the court was quite different. While Nadal and Federer grabbed the center stage, he had to go through a lot to reach an unbeatable level.

Recently, a French tennis star, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who has seen the Serbian tennis player on the court, talked about the factor that would have given him more appreciation. Let’s take a look at how the 24-time Grand Slam champion could have grabbed more applause than he is receiving today.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga analyzes Novak Djokovic’s take on appreciation

The 36-year-old Serbian tennis player created a name for himself in the tennis world. But a lot of people believe that he has not received the proper appreciation, looking at his game and skills. But for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, there is another reason why he is not appreciated enough. In an interview with Le10 Sports, he opened up about how there was a period when he was not himself.

He said, “I consider that he (Novak)had a period where he didn’t want to be himself. He wanted to be Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, when perhaps he should have remained himself all along. I think today he is himself. And even if it is divisive, I think that’s why it is appreciated by many people. Because now he’s completely honest.” 

Along with that, the former fifth-ranked tennis player also highlighted how, rather than trying to be like the other two big three tennis players for some time, He would have been appreciated more if he had been himself throughout his career. But now, as he is focusing on himself, he has not only won tennis fans’ hearts but also created a name for himself.

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Subsequently, after trying to fit into the generation of Federer-Nadal, he got a little late but started focusing more on himself than what the era needed. However, a few months ago, when he won the ATP Finals, he made a strong Big Three confession regarding his position in the tennis world.

Novak Djokovic’s strong Federer-Nadal confession 

In an interview after winning the ATP final, he talked about where he stands when being compared with Federer and Nadal. He clearly stated that before his appearance, they were already quite popular rivals on the athletic front. Along with that, he stated, “At first, I tried to get into that rivalry. Normally the ideal rivalry is between two, so I understand that people probably didn’t want that. In the end, we have shared the stage for about 15 years.”

But then he clearly stated that it’s not important that everyone like him; at the same time, he believes that a lot of people respect what he has achieved and contributed to the sport. Further, he concluded by saying that getting respected for what you have done is the most fundamental thing a person can receive from another person.

Nevertheless, what are your thoughts on Djokovic trying to be like Nadal and Federer? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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