Novak Djokovic popularity crisis is ‘driven by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans’

Novak Djokovic’s relationship with tennis fans has been strained for many years, but leading tennis agent and manager Patricio Apey has suggested the perception that the Serbian superstar is unpopular is misplaced.

Apey has worked with some of the biggest names in tennis and is currently overseeing the careers of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz and Sebastian Korda, among others.

He is also the mastermind behind The Boodles tennis event, which takes place the week before Wimbledon each year at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire, England.

Tennis365 sat down with Apey at The Boodles to discuss a range of topics, with his views on Djokovic offering an alternative narrative on the negativity often attached to the 24-time Grand Slam champion, as he appears to have lost the popularity contest with his great rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic clashed with fans at Wimbledon again as he mistook their chants for his Danish opponent Holger Rune as boos directed at him, with his latest bust-up with tennis fans capturing negative headlines around the world.

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Yet Apey believes the perception that Djokovic lacks a strong fanbase is misplaced, as he suggested that supporters of Federer and Nadal promote that view.

“Novak is just a great guy,” Apey told Tennis365. “I’ve been lucky enough to get to know him down the years. I’ve done some things for his Foundation and I don’t have the smallest bad word to say about him.

“Of course, everyone will care how fans view them, but I’m not sure it’s entirely true to say that Djokovic is not popular with the tennis public.

“A lot of Federer and Nadal fans may drive that message, but he is caring, he is as intelligent as can be and is a class act in so many ways.

“He can attend an event for a charity or a foundation and deliver a 30-minute speech about the mission of the organisation without a single note. He is always so impressive.

“He’s so grounded, centred and comfortable in his skin. That’s more important than anything anyone can say about him.

“You can’t please all of the people all of the time, that’s the reality.”

Djokovic hit back at the Wimbledon crowds when he believed they were booing him against Rune and then walked out of a BBC interview as he was asked to explain his actions.

Thankfully, the legendary champion left Wimbledon on a more upbeat note, as he was cheered by the Centre Court crowds during and after his defeat against Carlos Alcaraz in a one-sided men’s final.

Djokovic is now preparing to push for one of his big targets in 2024, as he will aim to win a gold medal for Serbia at the Olympic Games in Paris.

However, he admits he may only be third favourite in the tennis event at the Olympics after a tough start to 2024, with his comments after the defeat against Alcaraz at Wimbledon confirming he has plenty to work on to lift his levels once again.

“I was inferior on the court,” said Djokovic. “That’s it. He was a better player. He played every single shot better than I did.

“I did all I can to prepare myself for this match and this tournament in general. If someone told me I would play Wimbledon finals three, four weeks ago, I would take it for sure.

“Of course, I do feel disappointed. It’s a bitter taste to lose the finals the way I did today. I can always be self-critical, which I am. I can always find the flaws, which I can already see.

“I don’t think that would change too much the course of the match, to be honest. From the very beginning, you could see he was at least half a step better than I am in every way.

“I also feel like, in a match-up today against the best player right now in the world for sure, other than Jannik, and both of them are the best this year by far, I’m not at that level.