Wimbledon 2023: Why favourite Novak Djokovic's reputation doesn't match his tennis

Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic is closing in fast on his eighth Wimbledon title and if the quarter-finalist does succeed on British grass in 2023, he will land the 24th major of his sparkling career, tying with record-setting feats achieved by greats, Roger Federer and Margaret Court.

Indeed, online sportsbooks across the planet have installed Djokovic as odds-on favourite to lift the famous trophy in London for the fifth successive year, yet despite his remarkable achievements, Djokovic lacks the widespread adoration from tennis fans that other players of his ilk have enjoyed in the past.

While the volume of awards, trophies and prize money that Djokovic will have collected by the time he puts down his racket will ensure his sporting immortality, the 36-year-old’s unfulfilled desire to be loved by the masses could taint his legacy.

Djokovic’s rivalry with Federer and Nadal

In many ways, Djokovic truly announced himself as powerhouse in 2011 when he broke the decade-long Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal duopoly at Wimbledon, and it was The Serbinator’s battles with his arch-rivals on several different continents that catapulted him to superstardom.

Djokovic remains the only player ever to beat both Federer and Nadal in all four Grand Slam tournaments and his incredible head-to-heads against both opponents will live long the memory.

With Federer already retired and Nadal due to finish his career in 2024, Djokovic could hold a clean sweep of all-time individual records in men’s tennis when his own swansong arrives.

If the Belgrade-born serial-winner maintains his trajectory, he will top the pile in a wide collection of statistical categories including Grand Slam titles, weeks at world number one, ATP Masters titles, number of consecutive finals, successive match victories and much more.

However, despite being widely accepted as the best men’s tennis player of all time, Djokovic doesn’t enjoy the same poster boy iconic status as either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal

Both Federer and Nadal were celebrated for their skills on the court, however, their charming personalities and mutual respect were inspirational enough to win the hearts of tennis fans around the world.

In contrast, Djokovic’s more stoic persona and slightly more robotic playing style seemed to leave spectators cold, while some controversial moments, including his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates, soured public opinions even further.

Djokovic yearns for adoration

Djokovic’s desire to earn the same kind of adoration that both Federer and Nadal enjoyed has been well-documented and is rooted in the basic human need for acceptance, though tipping the balance of opinion back in his favour in the twilight of his career could be too difficult for him to ace.

Conflicted sympathies in a crowd are a big part of the win/lose dynamic in tennis and when Djokovic has been defeated in the past, the absence of empathy for his plight further emphasised the “bad boy” trope he seems to carry.

In the 2013 Wimbledon Final, when Andy Murray pipped Djokovic to the final, the buoyant crowd were deeply invested in fellow Brit Murray’s triumph and showed little in the way of sympathy for his beaten opponent.

Yet, the atmosphere 12 months before that, when Murray was himself beaten in the final by Swiss star Roger Federer, wasn’t anywhere near as one-sided with the spectators torn in two different directions in support of both competitors.

The reasons for Djokovic’s role as the kind of player that fans want to root against are complex and though he deserves to be celebrated as champion, it could prove impossible to turn the tide of opinion in a more favourable direction so late in his career.