Novak Djokovic is surrounded by "dark cloud" he brings upon himself, says Nike's former director

Novak Djokovic's tendency to find himself embroiled in controversies has a negative impact on his marketability, according to Nike's former long-term tennis director Mike Nakajima. Nakajima believes there is a "dark cloud" hovering over Djokovic which is of his own making.

Mike Nakajima was at Nike when the sports equipment giant signed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and he worked with them for many years thereafter. He believes Federer has always been the most marketable among the Big 3 as he has always put a great deal of focus on that aspect of his career.

When it came to Djokovic, Nakajima stated that the now 22-time Grand Slam champion has always been a controversial figure who "brings it upon himself." While Nakajima feels Djokovic could become the most accomplished tennis player of all time, he suggested that the 35-year-old's brand image will never be as appealing as Federer and Nadal.

The comments of the former Nike tennis head were printed in a recently released book titled 'The Roger Federer Effect,' co-authored by Simon Cambers and Simon Graf.

"He could well be the most successful tennis player ever. But there’s always a dark cloud around him. It’s like he brings it upon himself," reads an excerpt from the book attributed to Nakajima.

Nakajima highlighted the 2020 US Open controversy where Djokovic was disqualified for mistakenly injuring a lineswoman by hitting the ball in anger. He also made a mention of the Serbian player's coronavirus vaccination-related row.

Nakajima claimed that brands wouldn't want to associate themselves with a player who is often at the centre of controversy, and instead would prefer working with those who have a clean image.

"He hits the lineswoman at the US Open and gets disqualified? It happens, I guess. But why does it always happen to Novak? Or the whole controversy about the Covid-19 vaccination," Nakajima was quoted as saying. "Now, as a brand: do I want to be behind somebody who always has controversy around him? Or do I want to go with an athlete with a squeaky clean image?"

In the list of the world's most marketable athletes of 2022 published by SportsPro, Djokovic found himself in 46th place. That was well below Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Federer and Nadal.

Rafael Nadal doesn't need anything else and Roger Federer can appeal to any audience, says former Nike director

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic at the Laver Cup 2022.

Unlike Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have always been in a much better space in terms of marketability and brand appeal, as per Mike Nakajima. The former Nike tennis director conveyed that Nadal never wanted to be the highest-paid endorser and that simply 'being Rafa' has worked for the Spanish great.

He further claimed that Federer always wanted to be marketed well, and lauded the Swiss legend and his management team for appealing to brands and audiences the right way. He also showered praise on the eight-time Wimbledon winner for his conduct.

"I’m not sure Rafa wants to be the highest-paid endorser in the world. I don’t think he cares," Nakajima said. "Rafa is Rafa, he has done extremely well and I don’t think he needs anything else."

"Roger wanted to be marketed, so he appealed to different brands, audiences and consumer groups. And his management company’s done an amazing job," he added. "He’s (Federer) able to appeal to any audience. And people believe that he’s saying the truth, whatever Roger pitches. He’s that believable."

Among the Big 3, Federer was also ranked well above Nadal and Djokovic in the 2022 list of the world's highest-paid athletes, despite the fact that he hardly played any tennis during the period of consideration. The former Swiss player accumulated as much as $90 million in off-court earnings during that time.