Andy Murray spoke about his former rivals ahead of his final event at the Olympic Games in Paris and briefly discussed Novak Djokovic and his tennis career.
Djokovic's career has been interesting in many ways. When he broke through on the ATP Tour, Roger Federer was an amazing and dominant player, and Rafael Nadal was shaping up to be a worthy rival.
They were beloved, their rivalry was thriving, and they were growing huge fanbases all around the world that supported them in every tennis match that they played anywhere around the globe.
Slowly but surely, Djokovic inserted himself into the equation and, after years, finally overtook both Nadal and Federer when it comes to the titles won. His two rivals may have had more fans, but Djokovic was winning on the tennis court, and he didn't care about what was happening away from it, but it was tough.
As somebody who was right there in person and able to experience all of that, Murray found the negativity Djokovic received from all sides significant. The Brit got it a bit, too, but he was never perceived as the villain Djokovic was.
Speaking to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, the 37-year-old Brit explained how he viewed the fans' love given to each member of the Big Four.
"Look, obviously, at times, it's been difficult for him because Nadal and Federer, before Novak became the best player in the world, were so loved and had a brilliant rivalry."
"I think Novak has huge support around the world, but yeah, at times, it has been difficult for him not to feel the same support from the crowd as Rafa and Roger got."
Even so, the Serbian slowly but surely built a fanbase of his own. It was inevitable because he was so good that eventually, people started supporting him more and more. Is he as beloved as Federer and Nadal? Probably not, but he's still massively supported worldwide, as Murray can attest to.
Djokovic is also very respected because he's had the greatest tennis career we've ever seen. Some people will argue against it, but the numbers don't lie. He's ahead of them, and oddly enough, not being well-liked might have helped him.
As Murray pointed out, he had played some of his best tennis matches when the crowd was against him.
"He still does have massive support. I think he's extremely well respected, not just in tennis but in the world of sports, because of all of his achievements."
"At times, he's also thrived on that as well, when the crowd hasn't been behind him. He's played some of his best matches and best tennis when the crowd hasn't been behind him. In a strange way, it maybe helped him achieve more."
The 2019 Wimbledon Championships final comes to mind when seemingly everybody on the Centre Court wanted Federer to win. The excitement was palpable when the Swiss Maestro had match points, and the silence was notable when Djokovic won the match against all odds.
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