'Some people are just more for Roger Federer and Nadal because...', says former star

The rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal has been the focus of the men's circuit for a long time, also thanks to the difference in style and personality between these two extraordinary champions. Since the beginning of the last decade, Novak Djokovic has forcefully inserted himself in the fight for the ATP primacy, managing in a short time to subvert the domination of the two eternal rivals. Thanks to an exceptional first part of the season, the world number 1 has hooked Roger and Rafa with 20 Grand Slam titles, after having already achieved the all-time record of weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. The 34-year-old from Belgrade will not be able to emulate Steffi Graf's 'Calendar Golden Slam', as his run at the Tokyo Olympics came to a halt in the semifinals at the hands of a great Alexander Zverev. The Serbian veteran will play the final for the bronze against Pablo Carreno Busta. Nole will take a few weeks off before focusing on the US Open, where he has triumphed three times in his career. In a long interview with 'The Associated Press', his compatriot Viktor Troicki explained why Djokovic is much less popular than Federer and Nadal.

Troicki on the GOAT debate

Viktor Troicki recently gave his thoughts on the GOAT race involving Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. According to the Serb, Djokovic has shot ahead of his two rivals with his recent achievements. “Already now, it’s obvious that he’s (Novak Djokovic) the greatest in our sport,” Troicki told Andrew Dampf of The Associated Press in an interview. “The greatest ever to play and to achieve so many records. They’re both great champions, both Rafa and Roger, and I admire what they’ve done. But really Novak has (reached) new heights and he’s for sure not going to stop here. He’s going to prove that he’s the best ever player. There is no point of talking again and again about that question,” Troicki said. “Roger and Rafa came first. Novak came after them, from a small country, Serbia. Some people are just more for Roger and Rafa because Novak came after them. Novak has his fans.” If Nole manages to win in New York this year, he’ll become only the second male player after Rod Laver to achieve the Calendar Slam. Apart from this, he’ll also surpass both his arch-rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, in the Grand Slam tally.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3zWY4xM