What should rising Djokovic have done differently?

T

travlerajm

Talk Tennis Guru
Djokovic has suffered from a popularity deficit relative to Federer and Nadal, who preceded him at the top and overlapped many years on the big stage.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?

Could he have used Muhammad Ali style bold boasts to influence opinions? Could he have cultivated a chosen-one hero image better? Or maybe a heel image? What should he have done?!!!
 
gjm127

gjm127

Hall of Fame
He should have embraced his ultimate heel persona. He should have criticized home crowds when he got the chance to and he should have used the "me against the world" narrative along the way.

Being loved, given the circumstances with the other 2 was almost impossible. Anyone in his position time-wise, with his success on court would have had the same fan sentiment against him.
 
Russeljones

Russeljones

Talk Tennis Guru
travlerajm said:
Djokovic has suffered from a popularity deficit relative to Federer and Nadal, who preceded him at the top and overlapped many years on the big stage.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?

Could he have used Muhammad Ali style bold boasts to influence opinions? Could he have cultivated a chosen-one hero image better? Or maybe a heel image? What should he have done?!!!
Click to expand...
Cut all ties with his parents.
 
Kralingen

Kralingen

Talk Tennis Guru
Stop retiring so much as a young player (bad look)

Put a muzzle on his parents saying ridiculous crap

Keep the aggressive 2011 playstyle instead of going for more percentage based grinding tennis to win fans over aesthetically

but in general I think he was fighting a losing battle anyway. People forget how Fedal ruled the world from 2006-2010. EVERYONE was either a Fed or Nadal fan, well 90% of people anyways.

their mind was already made up by 2011.

Breaking up that duopoly, no matter who you were, was always going to lead to resentment. I am no Djokovic fan but I think Fedal fans are intentionally obtuse about this fact. Even if he was the nicest, most beautiful and elegant player ever, with zero negatives whatsoever… those fanbases would have gone against him anyways.
 
Bubcay

Bubcay

Legend
travlerajm said:
Djokovic has suffered from a popularity deficit relative to Federer and Nadal, who preceded him at the top and overlapped many years on the big stage.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?

Could he have used Muhammad Ali style bold boasts to influence opinions? Could he have cultivated a chosen-one hero image better? Or maybe a heel image? What should he have done?!!!
Click to expand...
He should have sorted the gluten intolerance and breathing issues much sooner (at least three years earlier actually). We would have talked about his grand slam no. 30 now, not inability to play the US Open or popularity contest with the rest of the BIG 3 (if that would even be a thing if the aforementioned occurred)... If, if, if - it doesn't exist... :X3:
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
travlerajm said:
Djokovic has suffered from a popularity deficit relative to Federer and Nadal, who preceded him at the top and overlapped many years on the big stage.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?

Could he have used Muhammad Ali style bold boasts to influence opinions? Could he have cultivated a chosen-one hero image better? Or maybe a heel image? What should he have done?!!!
Click to expand...
First of all, to be fair to Djokovic, he was never #4 he was always #3. That aside, no one wanted the Fedal Dynasty to be invaded; the tennis world had split into two dinstinct warring factions and everyone liked it that way. They didn't need an intruder to spoil the party and they've never forgiven Djokovic for that. Also, no fan will suddenly stop supporting their favourite to jump on the bandwagon of the intruder. Finally, Djokovic's game style is not enticing at all to tempt anyone to switching sides.
 
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C

ChrisRF

Legend
I dont think he could have done much, because I generally think off-court things are absurdly overrated in terms of popularity.

His "problem" was that he came third. Federer was first, and while many people already root for the best player anyway, his game was as exciting as it gets, so of course he had many fans. However, if someone dominates everything, then people are excited for a challenger to not make it too predictable. And that was Nadal. Soon he became just as good as Federer, and therefore a rivalry was created. In this rivalry fans chose one of them. And because tennis wasn't boring in terms of competition anymore, almost everyone was satisfied. Nobody really needed a third man. Not the glory hunters and not those who wanted a rivalry.

And on top of that, Djokovic had the most monotonous game, so he also couldn't overtake some fans on this factor. I think Federer could much easier have arrived as the third man.
 
Tarkovsky

Tarkovsky

Semi-Pro
travlerajm said:
Djokovic has suffered from a popularity deficit relative to Federer and Nadal, who preceded him at the top and overlapped many years on the big stage.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?

Could he have used Muhammad Ali style bold boasts to influence opinions? Could he have cultivated a chosen-one hero image better? Or maybe a heel image? What should he have done?!!!
Click to expand...

You realize Djokovic is the best player in the World in the last 12 years, by far, don't you?
 
RaulRamirez

RaulRamirez

Legend
Novak has, obviously, made some missteps on and off the court over the years - most in recent years - but he has handled the great majority of situations quite well. He was, temporarily, the "third wheel" in a binary Roger-Rafa world (to some) but his vision/drive was to be the best and by many measures he has been.

"Embrace the heel role"? What is this, pro wrestling? It's a real sport with human beings without scripted results.

"Not play high-percentage tennis"? No, he should play whatever is most effective to win a given match.

"Silence Srdjan/parents"? Maybe, but easier said than done. Look, I think Novak is mostly a real good guy (lots of examples of this) with an outsider's chip on his shoulder and just a bit of crazy. He may be the best player ever, and despite his lack of relative popularity, enjoys, by all appearances, a pretty great life with lots of adulation as well.
 
WYK

WYK

Hall of Fame
Tarkovsky said:
You realize Djokovic is the best player in the World in the last 12 years, by far, don't you?
Click to expand...
Second to Rafa and third to Federer, sure.
I think a western civilisation level of standard education and some socializing would have gone a long ways for joker.
 
Cup8489

Cup8489

G.O.A.T.
To me, I was initially excited to see him in early 2007 starting to make waves. His game at the time was impressive, aggressive baseline tennis with good movement and big serve, and improving net game.

What initially got me sour about him was his "all about me" attitude in big matches. The ball bouncing was a little annoying, but his cockiness during pressers when he quit matches felt disconnected from reality, and then when he won the AO in 2008 and just couldn't stop pointing at himself, followed up with similar shenanigans at the 2008 USO really soured him to me.

A bit more humility early on would've been good, or even more akin to what Nadal does (celebration/jubilation at the tennis, not at himself). Afterward, when he tried to take on a more humble persona, it felt fake and forced, like he was trying to win a popularity contest. That soured things MORE for me.
 
skaj

skaj

Legend
He could have done without many things. For example:

- behave like a savage man on court (destroying stadium property, scaring the ball kids, telling the crowd to lick his genitals etc.)
- fake medical tests/go among people when with covid
- hit the ball around the court recklessly during the breaks and endanger people that way(after being warn about it by a journalist, which he interpreted as some kind of ridiculous attack against him)
- trying too hard to be loved and liked by everyone
- collaborating with the horrendous de facto mafia dictatorship Serbian government
- hanging out with a commander of a paramilitary unit involved with genocide
- trying to build on a public park in Belgrade

The list goes on...
 
skaj

skaj

Legend
Cortana said:
Treat the crowd how they treated him and embrace his role as the villian.

His hunt for the love of the crowd costed him 5+ slams.
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He has been at least as nasty to them as they have been to him.
When he's in control he tries(too much) to be liked, I agree, but when he loses it he sends so much hate towards the crowd it's scary to watch listen.
 
D

Deleted member 629564

Guest
GabeT said:
Tennis is a sport, a competition. Not a popularity contest.
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9CwKb7R.png
 
H

helterskelter

G.O.A.T.
Agassi retired around the time Djokovic was first making waves. Djokovic became a real top player the very following year. Djokovic has a play style that has something in common with that of Agassi. Agassi was very popular. I know Djokovic isn't American, but I don't think it was impossible that he could have picked up a good number of Agassi's fans. Maybe most of them had already jumped ship to Nadal or Federer in anticipation of Agassi's retirement.
 
S

Slicehand

Guest
helterskelter said:
Agassi retired around the time Djokovic was first making waves. Djokovic became a real top player the very following year. Djokovic has a play style that has something in common with that of Agassi. Agassi was very popular. I know Djokovic isn't American, but I don't think it was impossible that he could have picked up a good number of Agassi's fans. Maybe most of them had already jumped ship to Nadal or Federer in anticipation of Agassi's retirement.
Click to expand...
More like a decaffeinated agassi from the baseline
 
H

helterskelter

G.O.A.T.
Slicehand said:
More like a decaffeinated agassi from the baseline
Click to expand...

Maybe now, but not when he first came along. And by then Agassi was himself like a decaffeinated Agassi from the baseline, as his playing style in his last years was much more focused on moving the player around and much less flashy. By coincidence, today I watched the four match points that Djokovic saved against Federer in US Open semis back in 2010 and 2011, two on his own second serve and two on Federer's serve. On three of the four points, Djokovic won it with big, flashy shots. Federer got unlucky on a net cord on the other.
 
L

Lorenn

Hall of Fame
helterskelter said:
Agassi retired around the time Djokovic was first making waves. Djokovic became a real top player the very following year. Djokovic has a play style that has something in common with that of Agassi. Agassi was very popular. I know Djokovic isn't American, but I don't think it was impossible that he could have picked up a good number of Agassi's fans. Maybe most of them had already jumped ship to Nadal or Federer in anticipation of Agassi's retirement.
Click to expand...

Late Agassi normally kinda felt like the underdog. It also felt like a comeback story. It even seemed like he enjoyed tennis, finally. It would be like if Nick Kyrios became a nice guy and played well. Agassi was always insanely talented, but he didn't always feel like he wanted to be there.

Novaks early career he was basically not in good shape. He ate poorly, partied regularly. SO it would be like going from old Agassi back to young Agassi. Murray would've also likely taken a good part of the fan base. Fans also get older as well and tent not to tolerate childish behavior. To be honest I can see Agassi in all of the Big 4. They all counter punch so well. So I think the fan base split up.

Novak behavior is a little erratic for many fans. One Day he gives a child a racquet, the next day he is exposing people to covid without their consent. He is old enough he should not be making such bad choices anymore. He just makes it hard to get invested.

Not really a fan of any of the Big 4, but I do respect their ability to play.
 
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H

Herald

Guest
Had that scuffle with Roddick in 08 that didn't do him any favors. Don't get me wrong it was totally on Roddick but a savvy PR team would have told him to ignore the whole thing. The Silverback celebrations were off putting. I think bring out his goofy side more.
 
S

Slicehand

Guest
helterskelter said:
Maybe now, but not when he first came along. And by then Agassi was himself like a decaffeinated Agassi from the baseline, as his playing style in his last years was much more focused on moving the player around and much less flashy. By coincidence, today I watched the four match points that Djokovic saved against Federer in US Open semis back in 2010 and 2011, two on his own second serve and two on Federer's serve. On three of the four points, Djokovic won it with big, flashy shots. Federer got unlucky on a net cord on the other.
Click to expand...
Ok, maybe if we compare degradated agassi with young novak they were closer, still, agassi in his prime doesnt resemble novak in many ways, talking in general
 
T

TennisLurker

Professional
His game isn't very attractive. He is a better Murray (better forehand and second serve). But when he played Murray it often looked like playing against a mirror.
 
duaneeo

duaneeo

Legend
travlerajm said:
Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?
Click to expand...

Nole made his first slam final at 2007 USO, then won 2008 AO. Had he not taken a 3-year vacation afterwards, the allure of Fedal wouldn't have been so great and Nole would likely be viewed differently today. The 2nd 3-year vacation he took after dominating 2011 didn't help either.
 
intrepidish

intrepidish

Hall of Fame
I am going to guess that Djokovic's family helped make him disliked by a decent number of people. The 'king is dead' stuff directed at Federer was low class as was all of Srjdan's many statements to the press about Federer and Nadal in addition to the family later inviting an extremist like Nigel Farage to represent them and comparing Novak to Jesus and Spartacus.

His delusional and cocky statement that he was in control of the match at RG 2006 when he retired at 2 sets down against Nadal was another early clue.

Novak being so openly friendly with extreme right-wing nationalists in Serbia and singing and hugging them at weddings etc (while himself evading taxes and living in Monaco) surely added fuel to the fire for anyone paying attention.

Let's also not forget telling a crowd to eat his ----- or screaming at ball kids, smashing his racquet many times, launching it into the crowd at the Olympics and abandoning his mixed doubles partner there too.

Frankly, he's lucky that a lot of what he and his family does isn't covered much outside of Serbia and that his worst curses are in Serbian.
 
T

Turner

New User
skaj said:
He has been at least as nasty to them as they have been to him.
When he's in control he tries(too much) to be liked, I agree, but when he loses it he sends so much hate towards the crowd it's scary to watch listen.
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Yes, and this two-facedness is also something that people don't like. All that peace and love stuff ends up looking fake.
 
skaj

skaj

Legend
TennisLurker said:
His game isn't very attractive. He is a better Murray (better forehand and second serve). But when he played Murray it often looked like playing against a mirror.
Click to expand...

This is true, but that's certainly not the main reason for his lack of popularity.
 
D

D.Nalby12

G.O.A.T.
He should have been from Britain instead. He would get worshiped like a Tennis god. They elevated an utterly unlikeable pusher to status of Big 3 - then imagine what would they with Djokovic given his insane records.
 
Djokovic_is_the_best#1

Djokovic_is_the_best#1

Bionic Poster
Do nothing different. The guy has been a joy to watch on court and I like his off court personality as well. I wouldn’t want him to change. I like how he has his own mind and is anti-establishment on different matters.
 
T

tex123

Hall of Fame
travlerajm said:
Djokovic has suffered from a popularity deficit relative to Federer and Nadal, who preceded him at the top and overlapped many years on the big stage.

Part of the problem, it seems to me, is that Novak’s rise to #1 seemed come due to the decline of Fedal, because he was #3 fiddle, or even #4 when Murray was on the rise, for so long.

My question is, is there anything Novak could have done, on-court performance aside, during his ascent, that would have made the public view him differently?

Could he have used Muhammad Ali style bold boasts to influence opinions? Could he have cultivated a chosen-one hero image better? Or maybe a heel image? What should he have done?!!!
Click to expand...
He should've risen like a phoenix.


 
Djokovic2011

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
intrepidish said:
I am going to guess that Djokovic's family helped make him disliked by a decent number of people. The 'king is dead' stuff directed at Federer was low class as was all of Srjdan's many statements to the press about Federer and Nadal in addition to the family later inviting an extremist like Nigel Farage to represent them and comparing Novak to Jesus and Spartacus.

His delusional and cocky statement that he was in control of the match at RG 2006 when he retired at 2 sets down against Nadal was another early clue.

Novak being so openly friendly with extreme right-wing nationalists in Serbia and singing and hugging them at weddings etc (while himself evading taxes and living in Monaco) surely added fuel to the fire for anyone paying attention.

Let's also not forget telling a crowd to eat his ----- or screaming at ball kids, smashing his racquet many times, launching it into the crowd at the Olympics and abandoning his mixed doubles partner there too.

Frankly, he's lucky that a lot of what he and his family does isn't covered much outside of Serbia and that his worst curses are in Serbian.
Click to expand...
:D
 
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