Novak Djokovic is a master of turning lemons into lemonade as he used the unfair antics of fans to charge himself to get ahead of his peers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
This is the take of the former World No. 1 John McEnroe.
Djokovic has often been perceived as the villain in men’s tennis as he broke the tennis scene at a time when Federer and Nadal had already established themselves as the Big Two of tennis.
However with his talent he carved out a place for himself and transformed the Big Two into Big Three and eventually broke most of the records by his Swiss and Spaniard rivals as he surpassed both in the race for most major crowns and most weeks at No. 1.
Federer called time on his illustrious career with 20 Slams while Nadal sits on 22 (2 short of Djokovic’s 24). The legendary Serbian has also spent a record shattering 428 weeks at #1 as he separated himself by a great margin from Federer and Nadal’s 310 and 209 weeks respectively.
Many believe the 37-year-old has already won the tennis most intriguing GOAT debate yet he doesn’t still get the same credit and adulation for his heroics compared to his arch nemesis Federer and Nadal who have always received their fair share of recognition and adoration.
Despite his marvelous achievements, Roger’s retirement and Nadal’s inactivity due to injury the Serbian is still the recipient of unfair criticism neve ending boos and jeers on and off the court.
While talking to Metro.co.uk, McEnroe believes Djokovic is a great asset for men’s tennis as he gave his verdict on the treatment of the 24-time major champion.
“Novak has not only equaled them [Federer and Nadal] but surpassed them in overall achievements, which seemed impossible,” said the 7-time Grand Slam champion.
“Both of those guys, Rafa and Roger, they are total class acts. They are loved and respected around the world. Novak gets the unfair treatment.
“He’s the villain, the bad guy. I guess you need a good guy and a bad guy in a way. It can help the sport when you have rivalries like that.
“I think it’s been unfair, honestly, because he is great for the game. On and off the court.
“He’s been able to do something that I wasn’t able to do nearly as well which is turning lemons into lemonade.
“You know, when people want to see the underdog or someone else winning, he somehow uses that as fuel to help him. That’s an incredible quality which you can’t underestimate.”