Chris Bowers said that Novak Djokovic started as a third wheel in the Fedal rivalry and ended up achieving more than both of them.

The iconic tennis rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal defined that era of the sport and made it so entertaining. It also made the said stars, i.e., Federer and Nadal, household names in tennis. These two names are so big in the sport that even after winning 24 Grand Slams and breaking almost every record there is to break, Novak Djokovic had to fight day in and day out for the same level of popularity and is still one of the most hated names in the sport.

Author and commentator Chris Bowers recently made an amusing statement on Novak Djokovic’s place in the Big 3. He said that Djokovic had a much more difficult path to the top of the game compared to Federer and Nadal and still has less following than Fedal.

Here is what he had to say:

Djokovic was a boy from modest surroundings, no history of tennis. It was a massive learning curve for the family, set against a background of real chaos. Much better story and yet the Federer book sells 10-1 better, which tells you something. If someone’s more popular, their story will sell, even if it’s not as good a story as somebody who’s less popular.

Chris Bowers said

Despite being the most decorated player of all time, Novak Djokovic is often disregarded in the GOAT debate just on the grounds that trophies are not a good enough parameter to decide the greatness of a player.

Chris Bowers calls Novak Djokovic the third man in a two-man show

Chris Bowers called this the tragedy of the Serb. Just because he is not as popular as the other two names in the Big-3, he is often misunderstood and even termed as the ‘bad guy in tennis’. It is hard to fathom for many fans that he came as the third wheel in the rivalry between Federer and Nadal and ended up achieving more than both of them.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (via Imago)
Chris Bowers added:

And that’s the tragedy of Djokovic. He is less understood because he is not as popular. Perhaps because he’s the third man in a two man show. People loved the Federer and Nadal rivalry, and Djokovic was a slight interloper in that respect and ended up achieving more than Federer and Djokovic. So, interesting things.

Chris Bowers added

The Serb is also not on very great terms with Nadal and Federer off the court which doesn’t make the situation any better.