Exactly.I think crowd numbers would be a much better indicator of fan support given those people were willing to pay up to watch a player in a match. Plus, crowds tend to span most generations, unlike social media. But I realize how much more difficult it could be to measure this.
Anecdotally, I believe Federer has definitely had much bigger crowd turnouts in his support than any other player I’ve seen. But that’s anecdotally.
If every single sport fans whether he/she's 5 or 80 years old has every social media account(facebook, twitter, Instagram, etc.), then using social media followers as a measuring stick has some validity. HOWEVER, many people, especially the older generation(mostly are Federer fan) don't have an account.
Throughout Fedal's career, Federer was always the fan's favorite, and still is today. Most fans want to see Federer more than Nadal in every part of the world except in Spain. Tournaments directors, sponsors, tennis commentators all knows too well that Federer is the man, just like Michael Jordan in basketball.
I can't believe we still debating this. I mean it's not even worth a debate to begin with. LOL