Would Djokovic trade 5 GS titles in exchange for a little popularity?

Booger

Booger

Hall of Fame
It's no secret that he is the least popular #1 of all time. Nearly every match he plays, the crowd cheers wildly for his opponent. Nike won't touch him with an 8 foot pole. None of the younger players idolize him, not even a little. Most consider the sport to be objectively worse with him at #1 and actively declining with every title he wins.

Anyone can see that this bothers him immensely. I think he would trade a minimum of 5 grand slam titles in exchange to hear the crowd cheer him to victory. Maybe more.

Most players view the olympics as something between a nuisance and maybe a nice spot to party with other athletes. Djokovic saw it as a chance to appeal to a new audience of people who aren't normally tennis fans. They were supposed to like him.

MZ7UdhL.png
 
Zebrev

Zebrev

Hall of Fame
Yes, I agree. He doesn't have so much a personality as a very serious side and a very goofy side. It's hard to actually see the person in there sometimes. He is either clowning so hard that it's hard to take him seriously, or he is very business-like and without any emotion whatsoever. It's quite strange, but it explains why people long for the Fed/Nadal days.

Personally I can't wait for 2020, the year Zverev saves tennis for everyone.
 
wangs78

wangs78

Legend
Totally right. I'm not sure why. I think he is just a bit too in control of his emotions that makes it harder for fans to completely embrace him. Between him, Roger and Rafa, he definitely is the most cool-headed. Remember that Sampras was also very emotionless and it was not until he broke down on court over his coach that fans finally warmed to him a bit.
 
TupeloDanger

TupeloDanger

Professional
What's he trading in this hypothetical? Just the trophies and resume bullet points, or the prize money too? Because ain't no Joey Couch Potato's approval worth more than a pocket full of Benjamins.

On the other hand, I'd trade five Aussies for a Red Lobster coupon, as long as I got to keep the cash.
 
T

Tiki-Taka

Guest
Being less popular doesn't make a player and his achievements less great. Novak has one of the most complete legacies ever and nothing will change that. I get the impression that OP would like to make the player look less impressive, but that can't be done.
 
tennisaddict

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
I think 'fair play' aspect has a lot to do with this apart from the 'grinding style' that Novak resorts to in big matches.

WTA player Shelby Rogers questioned Novak's MTO and compatriots Nicole Gibbs, Jamie Hampton all liked her posts.
 
TU87

TU87

Rookie
I wouldn't - I would trade popularity for more titles. I was at the open Labor Day weekend. On the one day I saw him on the practice courts before his match, he was the only one scheduled for practice and the practice stands were full an hour before he came out. Not to mention all the Djokovic gear I saw around the grounds. I had an easier time getting a seat to see Nadal's practice round. He is much more popular than you realize. I was very surprised.
 
GabeT

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
Meanwhile, in the real world:

"Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams have dominated the world of tennis in recent years with Williams reign reaching back two decades. Djokovic has held the world No. 1 ranking for most of the past five years. Williams’ stranglehold on top dates to February 2013, although her record-tying 186 straight weeks at No. 1 will end Monday after her semifinal loss at the U.S. Open to Karolina Pliskova. The two have won a combined 34 Grand Slam singles events during their careers.

The dominance on the court and compelling personalities of both stars have made them champions on social media as well. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Sania Mirza have the most followers among tennis players on social media (see chart below), but none of them can touch Djokovic and Williams in terms of total interactions on social platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbad...nnis-biggest-social-media-stars/#714c3ca46b53
 
Booger

Booger

Hall of Fame
TU87 said:
I wouldn't - I would trade popularity for more titles. I was at the open Labor Day weekend. On the one day I saw him on the practice courts before his match, he was the only one scheduled for practice and the practice stands were full an hour before he came out. Not to mention all the Djokovic gear I saw around the grounds. I had an easier time getting a seat to see Nadal's practice round. He is much more popular than you realize. I was very surprised.
Click to expand...


Surprising. All his "fans" sure are quiet. I've also never met any tennis players who like him aside from a few 2.5 mugs.
 
GabeT

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
TU87 said:
I wouldn't - I would trade popularity for more titles. I was at the open Labor Day weekend. On the one day I saw him on the practice courts before his match, he was the only one scheduled for practice and the practice stands were full an hour before he came out. Not to mention all the Djokovic gear I saw around the grounds. I had an easier time getting a seat to see Nadal's practice round. He is much more popular than you realize. I was very surprised.
Click to expand...


It is known.
 
GabeT

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
mistik said:
He isnt popular this is one of the few things on this forum when posters mentioned this it has some reality not just trolling. No amount of fake stories can change the reality.
Click to expand...
Yes, he isn't popular. That's why stands are full to watch him practice and he has such high interactions in social media. All that because he is so unpopular.

It is known.
 
Gazelle

Gazelle

G.O.A.T.
OP, don't you know TT Djok fans have declared only a few days ago that Djok is actually popular? Crowds only root against him when he's playing Federer, Nadal or Wawrinka, or when he's the heavy favourite to win.
 
Booger

Booger

Hall of Fame
Gazelle said:
OP, don't you know TT Djok fans have declared only a few days ago that Djok is actually popular? Crowds only root against him when he's playing Federer, Nadal or Wawrinka, or when he's the heavy favourite to win.
Click to expand...

If you can't trust the word of mouth breathing Djokovic stans, who can you trust?
 
Gazelle

Gazelle

G.O.A.T.
GabeT said:
Yes, he isn't popular. That's why stands are full to watch him practice and he has such high interactions in social media. All that because he is so unpopular.

It is known.
Click to expand...

He is so popular they can't even pronounce or write his name correctly.

"Novak erm...the Djokovik"

"Novack"

"Djovak Nokavic"


It is known.
 
spirit95

spirit95

Professional
People dislike him because he's fake.

I used to root for him in the late 00s when he used to rip his shirt open after a big win and get in fights with Andy Roddick in his own country. Then around 2011/12 he changed and now he's just boring.
 
A

ABCD

Hall of Fame
Gazelle said:
He is so popular they can't even pronounce or write his name correctly.

"Novak erm...the Djokovik"

"Novack"

"Djovak Nokavic"


It is known.
Click to expand...

The other day you tried to rationalise why you don't like Novak Djokovic. Based on your comments now, the only justification for such emotional investment and hatred is if he killed a member of your family or ruined you financially. If you step back and read your comments you would be ashamed of yourself if there is any decency left in you.
 
SprinkServe

SprinkServe

New User
Booger said:
It's no secret that he is the least popular #1 of all time...They were supposed to like him.
Click to expand...


Oh, where to start?

Of course he wouldn't trade five Major titles for more, erm...what was it...popularity?

He's a professional tennis player, not a 15-year-old girl. He's not on court to make friends.


giphy.gif
 
Gazelle

Gazelle

G.O.A.T.
ABCD said:
The other day you tried to rationalise why you don't like Novak Djokovic. Based on your comments now, the only justification for such emotional investment and hatred is if he killed a member of your family or ruined you financially. If you step back and read your comments you would be ashamed of yourself if there is any decency left in you.
Click to expand...

Way to overreact. But I can understand after the humbling yesterday.
 
Gazelle

Gazelle

G.O.A.T.
ABCD said:
It is not a problem that you are a hater (there are many around), but that you try to pass as one who is not.
Click to expand...

I think the word 'hater' is thrown around far too easily, and mostly by Djokovic fans. I don't care if you call me a hater, it only shows you and your fellows have nothing better to come up with. But I expect nothing more from people who were born this millennium.
 
GabeT

GabeT

G.O.A.T.
Gazelle said:
I think the word 'hater' is thrown around far too easily, and mostly by Djokovic fans. I don't care if you call me a hater, it only shows you and your fellows have nothing better to come up with. But I expect nothing more from people who were born this millennium.
Click to expand...
best millenium evah!
 
A

ABCD

Hall of Fame
Gazelle said:
I think the word 'hater' is thrown around far too easily, and mostly by Djokovic fans. I don't care if you call me a hater, it only shows you and your fellows have nothing better to come up with. But I expect nothing more from people who were born this millennium.
Click to expand...

Read what you have written and carefully analyse:

1) Whose fault is mispronunciation of Djokovic's name? What it tells about Djokovic?
2) How difficult/easy is for English speaker to pronounce Serbian name/surname properly?
3) If one man mispronounce the name, who are "they" you refer in your post?
4) Is your conclusion based on mispronunciation correct?
 
Gazelle

Gazelle

G.O.A.T.
ABCD said:
Read what you have written and carefully analyse:

1) Whose fault is mispronunciation of Djokovic's name? What it tells about Djokovic?
2) How difficult/easy is for English speaker to pronounce Serbian name/surname properly?
3) If one man mispronounce the name, who are "they" you refer in your post?
4) Is your conclusion based on mispronunciation correct?
Click to expand...

You should be able to recognize a joke when it's dancing naked right in front of you.
 
6august

6august

Hall of Fame
Hahaha again?

He´s the second well-paid tennis player in the world. Sponsors don´t waste money for unpopular guys. Or they all are stupid, have no idea about their investments?

Use your brain, stop being bitter and pathetic. It makes your life worse.
 
J

Jonas78

Legend
A big part of the reason for Djoker not being liked, is that he has been a big threat to Federer and Nadal, who are two of the most popular players the last 15 years. And im not saying this as a Djoker-fan.
 
Booger

Booger

Hall of Fame
Jonas78 said:
A big part of the reason for Djoker not being liked, is that he has been a big threat to Federer and Nadal, who are two of the most popular players the last 15 years. And im not saying this as a Djoker-fan.
Click to expand...

Djokovic may beat Fed's grand slam total, but no one is ever going to confuse a defensive pusher who racked up wins in the weakest era of all time for the GOAT.
 
D

Dave1982

Professional
To first answer the OP's original question...in the hypothetical world where such an offer was possible, there's absolutely no chance of Djokovic giving up Slams for popularity...and certainly not 5 of them.

No secret that Djokovic in the main hasn't achieved the popularity enjoyed by both Federer and Nadal and this is due to many many factors, ...most of which have nothing to do directly with him as personally I think he comes across as an incredibly open and likeable kind of guy.

Federer and Nadal's popularity skyrocketed on the back of their success but perhaps more importantly their rivalry, something Nike were able to cleverly exploit and commercialise. Djokovic hasn't had the advantage of being tied to the mega marketing machine which is Nike and I feel that has certainly impacted his popularity when compared to Federer and Nadal.
In addition his success has largely come at the expense of 2 of the most loved and popular tennis players ever, something which hardly endears you to the fans. While I think people are now starting to warm to him as he begins chasing records he was initially seen by most as the villain and the man who prevented Federer and Nadal from creating even more history and extending their rivalry in Grand Slam Finals.

Funnily Djokovic is extremely popular throughout Asia and my thoughts as to why this might be is because it's really only been in the last 5-6 years that the ATP has started it's significant push into Asia - of course the WTF were held there prior to this but that was largely done as a means to ensure Asia got to experience the top players, a key component of their marketing strategy. In the time tennis has exploded in Asia, Djokovic has largely been the top dog and therefore their go to guy...something I'm sure would have influenced UnIqlo's attraction to him.
 
J

Jonas78

Legend
Booger said:
Djokovic may beat Fed's grand slam total, but no one is ever going to confuse a defensive pusher who racked up wins in the weakest era of all time for the GOAT.
Click to expand...
Im afraid the history books wont put too much focus on playing style. But im not so worried about the slam record anymore, i think this years USO was the key to do it. It seems far away now, you cant really expect him to do a "Serena", especially given his mileage and that its 5-setters. Djoker is getting older, and i actually think the field will get stronger in the years to come. And maybe thats good for everyone - when the Fedal fans dont see him as such a threat anymore, maybe his popularity will rise:D:D:cool:. I actually cheer for him in the Masters from time to time, but me being a Fed-fan, i just cant do it in slams:).
 
D

Deleted member 688153

Guest
Is this thread the biggest crock of **** all day?
 
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