Novak Djokovic still missed a tournament that both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had.

Novak Djokovic wins many titles and holds the world No. 1 position at the end of 2023. Photo: ATP
2023 ended great for Novak Djokovic and many said, Djokovic won it all. However, the reality is that Nole still cannot win an individual award that has eluded him throughout his career.

Accordingly, the 2023 ATP Fan Favorite award was awarded to Italian star Jannik Sinner , despite Djokovic’s dominance in 2023.

Djokovic won the Australian, French, and US Opens and reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.

The veteran also won a series of other tournaments to finish as year-end world No. 1. But Djokovic is still not honored as the favorite player in the tennis community.

Fans were asked to vote for their favorite among the world’s top 25 tennis players.

Notably, Roger Federer won this award for 19 consecutive years before it was awarded to Rafael Nadal in 2022.
But he always had trouble with the fans. Photo: ATP
Both Federer and Nadal are currently out of the running list, with the Swiss legend having retired, and the Spaniard injured for much of 2023.

In a career spanning two decades, Djokovic has never once been voted the fan’s most popular tennis player.

As mentioned above, that honor this year was given to Sinner.

The 22-year-old won four tour-level tournaments in a breakthrough year and rose to No. 4 in the ATP rankings. He reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer and led Italy to win the Davis Cup.

Sinner became an audience favorite this year and is only the fifth person to win the award, which was first held in 2000.
Jannik Sinner was awarded Fan Favorite. Photo: ATP
Of course, people understand why Djokovic did not win this award, as he has a “complicated relationship” with fans. Most recently, last November, at the Davis Cup, he loudly asked the British audience to “be quiet” and “show more respect” after he was ridiculed.

Djokovic may not be too concerned, though. Because the 24-time Grand Slam champion insists he is hungry for more titles in 2024. The Serbian player said that the emergence of a number of young players – including Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – has awakened “a monster” inside him.

“The young guys are so hungry and so inspired to play their best tennis against me is an extra motivation,” Djokovic told CBS. I think they awakened the beast in me.”

Djokovic ‘s rivalry with Alcaraz was one of the stories of the year. He was defeated by the 20-year-old in the Wimbledon final but got revenge a month later at Cincinnati’s Masters.

Alcaraz’s declining form towards the end of the year meant that Djokovic finished the year as world number 1.

Djokovic said of Alcaraz: “He is as perfect a player as I have seen in many years. It’s a great opportunity for me to renew myself and really try harder than ever.”