Interesting article on the popularity of Djokovic

RF20Lennon

RF20Lennon

Legend
This article attempts to explain why Djokovic isn't as popular as Federer or Nadal. https://sportscafe.in/articles/tenn...ok&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=trolltennis

Paragraph that stood out to me the most was:

"With both (Federer and Nadal) of them still around, fans from either faction have simply stayed put instead of moving allegiance to the next generation – the way Sampras made way for Roger. Add to that, the constant fear that Djokovic could equal either of their records if he continues at the same pace, and you are left asking why you should in fact root for him".
 
CYGS said:
If Djokovic wins a slam, pick one of the following go-to-responses:

1. Weak era
2. He's boring; I'd rather watch the paint dry/grass grow
3. He's not popular/a crowd favorite/nobody cares
4. 17>14>12+
5. All of the above

Of course, these haters will not be able to sleep well at night and stop talking about Djokovic.
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Predictable haters are predictable.
 

Not relevant to this discussion. This thread is to discuss why a great champion like Novak is not as beloved as Federer and Nadal despite being very affable and extremely approachable.
 
RF20Lennon said:
Not relevant to this discussion. This thread is to discuss why a great champion like Novak is not as beloved as Federer and Nadal despite being very affable and extremely approachable.
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Because the author has no knowledge about his fan base in Asia. Tennis' popularity as a whole is dropping in the western world, but growing in Asian countries including China and Japan. Just because Fed is more well-liked does not mean Djokovic is not popular. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have never matched Michael Jordan in terms of popularity, but to say the former are not popular is simply an exaggeration.
 
Noleberic123 said:
1. He ended the Fedal era
2. He has a sense of humour
3. Hes a threat to fedals greatness
4. He is serbian.
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Why would that be a negative thing? And the Serbian card is overplayed. Frankly, no one outside gives a damn. But this article actually makes some interesting connections on the mentality of fans. It's a good read.
 
RF20Lennon said:
Why would that be a negative thing? And the Serbian card is overplayed. Frankly, no one outside gives a damn. But this article actually makes some interesting connections on the mentality of fans. It's a good read.
Click to expand...
Because its a serious world out there. The serbian card isn't overplayed. Trust me.
 
RF20Lennon said:
Why would that be a negative thing? And the Serbian card is overplayed. Frankly, no one outside gives a damn. But this article actually makes some interesting connections on the mentality of fans. It's a good read.
Click to expand...
For haters, a sense of humor = clown, but if Fed does the same joke, it's funny.
 
CYGS said:
Because the author has no knowledge about his fan base in Asia. Tennis' popularity as a whole is dropping in the western world, but growing in Asian countries including China and Japan. Just because Fed is more well-liked does not mean Djokovic is not popular. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have never matched Michael Jordan in terms of popularity, but to say the former are not popular is simply an exaggeration.
Click to expand...

I don't think the author ever insinuates that Djokovic isn't popular. His central hypothesis is that he isn't as popular as the other two. And considering the author appears to be Asian (Indian) I don't think he's down playing it. Every match Novak plays the big two, he doesn't get cheered as much--he isn't beloved as much even though he is the most chill out of the big three and the most approachable.
 
RF20Lennon said:
Not relevant to this discussion. This thread is to discuss why a great champion like Novak is not as beloved as Federer and Nadal despite being very affable and extremely approachable.
Click to expand...

The article says it all. There are too many dedicated Fed and Rafa fans out there who simply don't want their heroes' records to be overtaken by a guy they used to treat as the junior member of the trio. It's one thing to have your favourite player's records eventually overtaken by a future ATG but quite another to see it being done in front of your very eyes by a contemporary and while your favourite player is still active (at least officially).

Federer at least had the decency to wait until Sampras retired! ;)
 
Mainad said:
The article says it all. There are too many dedicated Fed and Rafa fans out there who simply don't want their heroes' records to be overtaken by a guy they used to treat as the junior member of the trio. It's one thing to have your favourite player's records eventually overtaken by a future ATG but quite another to see it being done in front of your very eyes by a contemporary and while your favourite player is still active (at least officially).

Federer at least had the decency to wait until Sampras retired! ;)
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Do you think if Federer and Nadal retire immediately, that Novak's popularity would increase or would fanbases still not want him to win?
 
RF20Lennon said:
I don't think the author ever insinuates that Djokovic isn't popular. His central hypothesis is that he isn't as popular as the other two. And considering the author appears to be Asian (Indian) I don't think he's down playing it. Every match Novak plays the big two, he doesn't get cheered as much--he isn't beloved as much even though he is the most chill out of the big three and the most approachable.
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East Asia. He knows nothing about that part of Asia. Djokovic does not need to be as popular. That's beyond his control.
 
The reason why he is not as popular is because Fedal have become almost too popular. If you swap Novak's and Rafa's careers then I guarantee you that Djokovic would have the same amount of popularity. It's only because Fedal have been around so long, that they are so popular, making Djokovic the "party pooper" guy. It's all to do with timing.
 
RF20Lennon said:
Yeah this could be a major reason IMO. Why us Federer fans have had a hard time supporting Nadal and vice versa.
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Him arriving later than the other two is another reason IMO. If he introduced himself at around the same time Rafa did it would have been a little different, but by the time he arrived majority picked one of the two sides and it was difficult for a third one to settle so well.

That's just my guess, and I don't really care about him being inferior to the other two guys in terms of popularity.
 
CYGS said:
Because the author has no knowledge about his fan base in Asia. Tennis' popularity as a whole is dropping in the western world, but growing in Asian countries including China and Japan. Just because Fed is more well-liked does not mean Djokovic is not popular. Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have never matched Michael Jordan in terms of popularity, but to say the former are not popular is simply an exaggeration.
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Don't forget India. Those Indian fans have been making some fantastic video tributes for Novak.
 
RF20Lennon said:
...
Paragraph that stood out to me the most was:

"With both (Federer and Nadal) of them still around, fans from either faction have simply stayed put instead of moving allegiance to the next generation....
Click to expand...

Hahahahaaa! Rafa is less than one year older than Djoko!
laughing-tennis-ball-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
RF20Lennon said:
Do you think if Federer and Nadal retire immediately, that Novak's popularity would increase or would fanbases still not want him to win?
Click to expand...

I think it might ease the situation for him slightly but I suspect they would have to be retired for several years before their fans would fully accept Djokovic usurping them as undisputed GOAT. The dilemma is that Djoko can't afford to wait that long. The clock is steadily ticking away on his career too.

I'm guessing that Djokovic's legacy won't be fully appreciated until he himself has hung up his racquet! :cool:
 
We have plenty of these types of articles, but they all fail to mention the real reason why Djokovic is not popular:

His cringeworthy attempts at getting love. He's just not cooI. I don't think he's the type that can ever be popular as the 'good guy'. Instead, I would be willing to support him if he showed a bit of a dark side. He could be the Beast from Belgrado, or Black Attila, or the Shadow of Death. He certainly has a more brutal than pleasing game. His game would suit such a persona. But unfortunately he absolutely has to play the school kid craving for some attention.
 
Gazelle said:
He's just not cooI. I don't think he's the type that can ever be popular as the 'good guy'. Instead, I would be willing to support him if he showed a bit of a dark side. He could be the Beast from Belgrado, or Black Attila, or the Shadow of Death. He certainly has a more brutal than pleasing game. His game would suit such a persona. But unfortunately he absolutely has to play the school kid craving for some attention.
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Has it ever occurred to you that's just not who he is?

He seems like a genuinely good guy
 
Gazelle said:
We have plenty of these types of articles, but they all fail to mention the real reason why Djokovic is not popular:
His cringeworthy attempts at getting love. He's just not cooI. I don't think he's the type that can ever be popular as the 'good guy'. Instead, I would be willing to support him if he showed a bit of a dark side. He could be the Beast from Belgrado, or Black Attila, or the Shadow of Death. He certainly has a more brutal than pleasing game. His game would suit such a persona. But unfortunately he absolutely has to play the school kid craving for some attention.
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He does not need to. He's the world number 1 and the most dominant one in history. Media, fans and haters like you will keep talking about him as long as he's playing.
 
Great question. In my opinion, it's one of those intangibles that cannot really be explained. Strange but true. Just like Sunny Deol in India. Hugely successful actor, legions of fans, among the best actors from India ever and yet imbeciles such as Aamir Khan are more popular. What can you do.

In Djokovic's case, it's even more complicated because Federer & Nadal have truck loads of charisma.

RF20Lennon said:
Not relevant to this discussion. This thread is to discuss why a great champion like Novak is not as beloved as Federer and Nadal despite being very affable and extremely approachable.
Click to expand...
 
Sunny Ali said:
Great question. In my opinion, it's one of those intangibles that cannot really be explained. Strange but true. Just like Sunny Deol in India. Hugely successful actor, legions of fans, among the best actors from India ever and yet imbeciles such as Aamir Khan are more popular. What can you do.

In Djokovic's case, it's even more complicated because Federer & Nadal have truck loads of charisma.
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How dare you?! His 3 idiots is hugely popular even in East Asia, while I have to google to find out who Sunny Deol is.
 
RF20Lennon said:
This article attempts to explain why Djokovic isn't as popular as Federer or Nadal. https://sportscafe.in/articles/tenn...ok&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=trolltennis

Paragraph that stood out to me the most was:

"With both (Federer and Nadal) of them still around, fans from either faction have simply stayed put instead of moving allegiance to the next generation – the way Sampras made way for Roger. Add to that, the constant fear that Djokovic could equal either of their records if he continues at the same pace, and you are left asking why you should in fact root for him".
Click to expand...


This is the obvious answer, but there's too many dumb fans on this page who think otherwise
 
CYGS said:
He does not need to. He's the world number 1 and the most dominant one in history. Media, fans and haters like you will keep talking about him as long as he's playing.
Click to expand...

Agreed, he does not need to. So explain to me why is he doing it?
 
Gazelle said:
And I don't believe one second that's who he is. To me he looks like a person faking to be a genuinely good guy.
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Yes, at times he does come off as someone trying too hard to be liked. But that doesn't mean he's not a genuinely good guy. I think he's just a big goofball
 
jm1980 said:
Has it ever occurred to you that's just not who he is?

He seems like a genuinely good guy
Click to expand...

Yeah he does, but I'm with that guy being the bad guy might win me over. Not saying that's what he should do, obviously all you can be is yourself. But to me he seems like he SHOULD be the bad guy, he just happens to not be lie that.

It's like Lebron in Miami, he was PERFECT to finally be the villain there. I think Novak would be a much better villain, as far as popularity goes. For clarity, I'm NOT saying that's what he should try to be, I'm just saying if that's what he was like he would be liked more.
 
RF20Lennon said:
This article attempts to explain why Djokovic isn't as popular as Federer or Nadal. https://sportscafe.in/articles/tenn...ok&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=trolltennis

Paragraph that stood out to me the most was:

"With both (Federer and Nadal) of them still around, fans from either faction have simply stayed put instead of moving allegiance to the next generation – the way Sampras made way for Roger. Add to that, the constant fear that Djokovic could equal either of their records if he continues at the same pace, and you are left asking why you should in fact root for him".
Click to expand...
OP there is no need to worry about ,him he is fine, the more all of you bashing him and trying to disparage his tennis the more his fans like him.
We get it ,he upseted average sport fan brainwashed by media by defeating some of their icons. Yawn
Whenever he is on right track to win something big or already done it, the old new popularity thread pops up. For now it's good sign
Gazelle said:
And you don't answer the question, you're making Djokovic look more like a fool with each comment you make.
Click to expand...
The only fool here is you. Like Djokovic need your approval. LOL
 
Noleberic123 said:
1. He ended the Fedal era
2. He has a sense of humour
3. Hes a threat to fedals greatness
4. He is serbian.
Click to expand...
1 and 3 aren't that important, in my opinion. They seem so now but when Federer retires it'll subside.
Plus he does have a sense of humour, which is a great quality in this media age.

The problem is his small habits. His precision game is amazing, as well as his mental fortitude. It isn't his game.
Occasionally he acts in ways that don't sit well with a lot of (mostly European) fans:

1) he mentions God and crosses himself ostentiously, which is cringeworthy for many. It's no problem, but keep it private (if you want people to identify with you).
2) he often mentions Serbia, thus cutting off most tennis fans of the world from feeling a real "supranational connection" with him. Dude (Kicoš?), you live between Monaco and the US, drop the chauvinism act!
3) he takes occasional reactionary positions to catch the limelight, then backtracks (e.g. the women and pay argument).
4) he admits to suffering to win, and flatters his opponent too much without admitting he's the favourite by a mile before the match. Some see modesty, some see false modesty. Fine line to walk.
5) he howls on court, but only when he feels like disturbing the opponent.

Even if I quite like the guy, it's the little things that mean he probably won't ever reach Federer-level popularity.
Not that he should care too much about it, from atop his millions!
 
Last edited:
Noelan said:
OP there is no need to worry about ,him he is fine, the more all of you bashing him and trying to disparage his tennis the more his fans like him.
We get it ,he upseted average sport fan brainwashed by media by defeating some of their icons. Yawn
Whenever he is on right track to win something big or already done it, the old new popularity thread pop up. For now it's good sign

The only fool here is you. Like Djokovic need your approval. LOL
Click to expand...

When did I bash him?
 
like we don't have enough threads on player popularity on this forum.

US open attendance with absence of Federer and Nadal being a non-entity shows, that people give two hoots to popularity of players when watching the game. Yes that includes Djokovic!
 
Noelan said:
:rolleyes: This tread and countless similar which are opened daily here have just one agenda behind it.

You- means fedal super fan/s ,you know
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I came across this article today on facebook. So thought I'd share it here. This is a tennis forum where you discuss players is it not? ;)

Notice I added no analysis of my own. Just shared the article!
 
Tenez! said:
1 and 3 aren't really important, in my opinion.
And he does have a sense of humour, which is a great quality in this media age.

He's been unlucky, really. His precision game is amazing, as well as his mental fortitude.
But occasionally he acts in ways that don't sit well with a lot of (mostly European) fans:

1) he mentions God and crosses himself ostentiously, which is cringeworthy for many. It's no problem, but keep it private (if you want people to identify with you).
2) he often mentions Serbia, thus cutting off most tennis fans of the world from feeling a real "supranational connection" with him. Man, you live between Monaco and the US, drop the chauvinism act!
3) he takes occasional reactionary positions to catch the limelight, then backtracks (e.g. the women and pay argument).
4) he admits to suffering to win, and flatters his opponent too much without admitting he's the favourite by a mile before the match. Some see modesty, some see false modesty. Fine line to walk.
5) he howls on court, but only when he feels like disturbing the opponent.
Click to expand...


Your post is great example:

You just don't get him.

1) he mentions God and crosses himself ostentiously, which is cringeworthy for many.
Response: Lost in translation for you.

2) he often mentions Serbia, thus cutting off most tennis fans of the world from feeling a real "supranational connection" with him. Man, you live between Monaco and the US, drop the chauvinism act!
Response: There is no chauvinism at all there.

3) he takes occasional reactionary positions to catch the limelight, then backtracks (e.g. the women and pay argument).
Response: Lost in translation for you.

4) he admits to suffering to win, and flatters his opponent too much without admitting he's the favourite by a mile before the match. Some see modesty, some see false modesty. Fine line to walk.
Response: Your interpretation without any bases to interpret observed phenomenon like that.

5) he howls on court, but only when he feels like disturbing the opponent.
Response: Your interpretation without any bases to interpret observed phenomenon like that.

You just don't like him, and you don't know exactly why. You are a decent human being so for you it is not acceptable to dislike someone without knowing why. Therefore, you try to find reasons for your dislike so that you can feel better.
 
Yeah, right ,I will give you a medal just to appreciate the effort.
RF20Lennon said:
I came across this article today on facebook. So thought I'd share it here. This is a tennis forum where you discuss players is it not? ;)

Notice I added no analysis of my own. Just shared the article!
Click to expand...
 
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