Why is nadal so much more popular than Djokovic?

[Rocky89]

Originally Posted by zagor

Well, is it safe to assume then you're a Game of Thrones fan because of your avatar ?

What is Game of Thrones? J/K

Yep you can safely assume that I'm a fan, just getting through the books now.

[Djokodal Fan]

Originally Posted by TheCheese

Djokovic is boring. He has nothing outstanding about his game, no huge strength or weakness, he is just very good all-around.

Federer has the forehand and he sets up points in order to execute his forehand. Nadal has the forehand and also ridiculous passing shots. Fed/Nadal make way more highlight reel shots.

Yeah only to know the final result even before the match starts!

[xan]

Originally Posted by TheCheese

Djokovic is boring. He has nothing outstanding about his game, no huge strength or weakness, he is just very good all-around.

Federer has the forehand and he sets up points in order to execute his forehand. Nadal has the forehand and also ridiculous passing shots. Fed/Nadal make way more highlight reel shots.

yup, not biased at all you're not.

[Steve0904]

Originally Posted by xan

yup, not biased at all you're not.

Well it's kind of true. The biggest highlight reel is and probably always will be produced by (out of all the rivalries in the top 4) Fed/Nadal. Djokovic is a great all around player, and he has huge strengths, but I would stop short of calling him boring on a tennis court. Other than that, I agree with TheCheese. His/Her second statement is spot on IMO. In fact, Fed vs anyone in the top 4 is probably better than all the other matchups for the offensive-defensive contrast of styles honestly.

[cknobman]

Nadal is massively popular because he proves you CAN get away with it

[dudeski]

Originally Posted by cknobman

Nadal is massively popular because he proves you CAN get away with it

Yeah people always like the underdog. It's Nadal vs all the drug testers, it's Nadal vs all the empires trying to enforce time rules. You would never expect Nadal to get his way in spite of such overwhelming odds but he does.

[Start da Game]

Originally Posted by dominikk1985

I can understand why fed is more popular as he won a million slams and has a very elegant game.

However I'm not sure why nadal is so much more popular than nole. Nole was the best player over the last 2 years and he is also a very funny and intelligent person (IMO the most intelligent out of the top4-although I cannot judge murray). nadal on the other hand barely speeks english and is not an "interesting person" (not say he is boring but he doesn't have any apealing stories for the media) in general.

he is (was?) a fantastic player but his game does not have a federer level of elegance either.

so why is he still much more popular than nole? I agree that nole sometimes does questionable stuff but I do think he does not get the respect he deserves.

when shakira likes somebody, the world just follows.......

[TheF1Bob]

Like Dave Batista said to John Cena, they like kiss babies & hug fat girls.

Nadal, like Fed, is a hypocrite.

[Crisstti]

Originally Posted by tusharlovesrafa

The one with the son is the 5th part,which is a downer.If you truly want to enjoy you gotta see the 1st part of it.Omg!! wait,the one in Afganistan?? lol..,,there were no part in which they ventured in afganistan,you sure it was "rocky",or,are you confusing it with "rambo"?

Lol, I guess it must have been.

Will try to give the first one a chance. But I do hate boxing.

[xan]

Originally Posted by Steve0904

Well it's kind of true. The biggest highlight reel is and probably always will be produced by (out of all the rivalries in the top 4) Fed/Nadal.

that i don't agree off. even more so when said with such a definitive tone.
but then again I've seen some people here saying they would rather watch their favorite player sleeping rather than watching a tennis excluding their favorite. so I guess it shouldn't come off as a surprise.

[Steve0904]

Originally Posted by xan

that i don't agree off. even more so when said with such a definitive tone.
but then again I've seen some people here saying they would rather watch their favorite player sleeping rather than watching a tennis excluding their favorite. so I guess it shouldn't come off as a surprise.

Yeah that was BP. He's a bit strange anyway. But seriously, which matchup would you say is most exciting? Nothing beats Fed-Nadal for shotmaking IMO, even though on most courts the result is obvious.

[Marius_Hancu]

an important factor:
large Spanish-speaking world vs. small country (Serbia)

[babyhagrid]

To me Nadal will always be the swashbuckling pirate fit for a role in Pirates of the Carribbean and Djokovic is Action Man/GI Joe (even his hair is the same fuzzy type as the action figures)

[sportsfan1]

Originally Posted by Marius_Hancu

an important factor:
large Spanish-speaking world vs. small country (Serbia)

It's the player rather than the place or language.
Population of serbia is approximately equal to that of switzerland (7m) and both are small countries. Number of swiss-german speakers is perhaps even smaller. Both Djok and Fed speak English well, better than Nadal certainly. But both Fed and Nadal are very popular.
Jerzy Janowicz - polish, probably spoken by fewer than spanish, but he's quite popular, atleast on these boards. Going back further, I am guessing Edberg was also a swedish speaker, but certainly a popular/respected athlete.
I haven't looked up each of these to confirm, but broader point is that it's the player that determines the popularity.

[veroniquem]

Originally Posted by sportsfan1

Jerzy Janowicz - polish, probably spoken by fewer than spanish, but he's quite popular, .

I was taking your post seriously until I got to this part. Then I understood it was a farce. Good one.

[xan]

Originally Posted by Steve0904

Yeah that was BP. He's a bit strange anyway. But seriously, which matchup would you say is most exciting? Nothing beats Fed-Nadal for shotmaking IMO, even though on most courts the result is obvious.

imo djokovic/federer. but i do appreciate each and every one of top 4 matchups for what they are, with Murray/djokovic to a lesser extent.
but people got suck up into fedal rivalry and it's a done deal for them when discussing various topics.
nevermind that djokovic/federer can provide equal if not better shotmaking (again imo), nevermind that rafa and novak already played the most matches between them, nevermind that fedal matches have been terribly one sided for the most part.
fedal rivalry was sold to them and people bought it, and its been peek of what tennis can do/offer ever since. even tho that isn't the truth.
so heaven forbid that something breaks that barrier or, even worse, god forbid that federer retires. I bet that 50% of casual fans will stop watching tennis all together because they invest their time watching their favorite and not the sport itself. those are ones that preech how tennis gonna die once federer retires, those are ones who boycott finals because x player is not in them.
anyhow sorry for going a bit off topic but the whole point was that the people already formed their opinion before even thinking of the subject and that most are terribly biased. its not a crime afterall, to each his own.

[steenkash]

I believe its his rivalry with Federer that made him so popular over the years, their rivalry is supposed to be a 'legendary' one. Despite the fact Nadal has Rodgers number on speed dial. Djocovic has always been popular among fans due to his easy going nature, but never considered a 'champion' up till now. Hopefully over the years he does grow a bigger fan base.

[TheCanadian]

Originally Posted by dominikk1985

I can understand why fed is more popular as he won a million slams and has a very elegant game.

However I'm not sure why nadal is so much more popular than nole. Nole was the best player over the last 2 years and he is also a very funny and intelligent person (IMO the most intelligent out of the top4-although I cannot judge murray). nadal on the other hand barely speeks english and is not an "interesting person" (not say he is boring but he doesn't have any apealing stories for the media) in general.

he is (was?) a fantastic player but his game does not have a federer level of elegance either.

so why is he still much more popular than nole? I agree that nole sometimes does questionable stuff but I do think he does not get the respect he deserves.

Many think Novak is a phony and dislikable and his parents a********. Nadal is simple like a child and primitive. It's easier to like Nadal.

[Flash O'Groove]

Originally Posted by xan

imo djokovic/federer. but i do appreciate each and every one of top 4 matchups for what they are, with Murray/djokovic to a lesser extent.
but people got suck up into fedal rivalry and it's a done deal for them when discussing various topics.
nevermind that djokovic/federer can provide equal if not better shotmaking (again imo), nevermind that rafa and novak already played the most matches between them, nevermind that fedal matches have been terribly one sided for the most part.
fedal rivalry was sold to them and people bought it, and its been peek of what tennis can do/offer ever since. even tho that isn't the truth.
s

Yeah maybe you are right and Fed-Nole can provide equally good shotmaking. I like how they match-up. But I disagree with you when you downgrade Fed-Nadal rivalry. Their match provided great opposition of style, like Fed-Nole, BUT they took place in a better context. At the beginning, it was the story of Fed trying to complete the Grand Slam and trying to dominate every surfaces, only to be prevented by Nadal. After RG 2008 and the humiliation Nadal inflicted to Fed, it was to put Nadal back in his place at Wimbledon. It didn't happened (after the best match scenario). Nadal replaced Fed at the top of the ranking. He defeated once again Fed in Australia, on hard court, where the old king was still a favorite.

In comparison, what is the story of the rivalry between Fed and Nole? During the first part of it, 2007-2009, the history of tennis was written by Fed and Nadal. In 2010, by Nadal alone: this year didn't had any interesting rivalry. in 2011, it was Nadal and Nole who mattered. In 2012 it was two evenly divided between the top guy for a real rivalry to exist.

The best year of tennis from a story point of view were 2005-2009, and Djokovic was a supporting character in it.

[sunof tennis]

Originally Posted by papertank

Nadal's rise to fame is basically because he represents the anti-Federer. Yin and yang. Not any better or worse, just opposite. Federer plays elegant and offensive attacking tennis while Nadal plays brutal and gritty counter-punching. Federer is the most naturally talented player to ever play while Nadal is the hardest worker. Federer exudes class and skill and Nadal brutality and youth. Anyone who dislikes one is bound to like the other.

Nadal definitely has character on his own but his traits are magnified by comparing him to Federer. Together they have achieved higher popularity than they ever would have separately. For Djokovic and Murray to achieve this kind of popularity they will have to take their rivalry to the next level.

Well said. Certainly you have to admire Nadal for his "all out" approach to every point.