“Most people started to like Nadal when Djokovic came out” – Former ATP pro makes bold claim about Serb invading Federer & Spaniard’s rivalry

Former French tennis player Giles Simon shared his opinion on the reception of Novak Djokovic amidst the intense Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry. The three players, colloquially termed the ‘Big Three’ of tennis, are the most successful players of the sport in the men’s circuit.

Amidst the intense rivalry over the years, each of the three has created individual legacies of their own, too. However, Djokovic, being the latter addition to the trio, hasn’t received the most affection while trying to create a space of his own in the circuit, which the Serb also admitted recently.

Speaking in an interview, former ATP Pro Simon said the tennis world initially didn’t like the fact that the Serb was competing toe-to-toe with Nadal and Federer. Additionally, he also added that the reception of Nadal was accepted by the fans only after ‘Nole’ arrived on the scene and not before that. Simon said (via Sportklub):

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"People didn't like it – that Novak was successful, that he was beating them. At one point, everyone was happy with the rivalry between Roger and Rafa, they didn't need a third man."

"If you remember, Roger was a favorite, maybe the most favorite player of all time, and most people didn't like Rafa when he first came out. They started to like Rafa when Novak came out. I'm 100 percent sure of that! They started to like Rafa when they stopped comparing him to Roger, but to Novak," he added.

Giles Simon further added, stating that the tennis world started to respect Novak Djokovic after the latter remained unhinged with his individuality, and the fans understood him with time.

Novak Djokovic made his feelings known on the reception from fans after breaking out amidst the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal era

Novak Djokovic recently made his thoughts clear on being the third player to arrive on the scene amidst the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The 24-time Grand Slam Champion, in an interview, said that he was like an unwanted third competitor with Nadal and Federer during their active years.

Djokovic also mentioned that he had wondered about the reasons behind this, which he initially thought was about his demeanour. He said (via Failure of Champions with Slaven Bilic):

"I felt like the unwanted child in the trio. I often questioned why that was the case, and it was painful. I thought changing my demeanour might win them over, but that proved ineffective too. The two of them had already developed a rivalry before I came along because Nadal broke through a few years before me."

The Serb is currently amidst preparations to compete for the Wimbledon Championships, where he is eying his 8th title to equal the record of Roger Federer for the most titles in this Grand Slam.

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Soumik Bhattacharya

Soumik is a journalist at Sportskeeda who covers US Olympics. Currently an Honors student of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has also worked for other firms as a tennis and football content writer.

Soumik’s favorite Olympian is Michael Phelps and he believes that the eight-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer has revolutionized the spectrum of Swimming. Nonetheless, the adrenaline rush that Track & Field sports offer interests him the most; and Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold-medal victory at the 2020 Tokyo Games is his favorite moment from past Olympics.

Soumik sources data and facts from credible sources like BBC and NBC for accurate and relevant reporting, and keeps up with updates on social media and news media platforms.

He feels that covering collegiate tournaments, similar to what is done in the United States can be a good way to cover the bridge the coverage gap during the Olympics off season.

When not reporting on the latest Olympics news stories, Soumik likes to play cricket and watch movies.

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