"Statpadding in the weak era is insane", "With the decline of Fedal" - Fans unimpressed with Novak Djokovic winning 50% of his Major titles after 2018

A statistic regarding Novak Djokovic's domination on the ATP Tour since 2018 recently surfaced online. However, a majority of tennis fans believe that it hardly bodes well for the Serb as his top rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, had started regressing at that point in their respective careers.

Djokovic has established himself as arguably the greatest tennis player of all time after reaching his prime in the 2010s. The Serb has 24 Major titles, seven ATP Finals titles, 40 Masters-level titles and eight year-end World No. 1 finishes to his name.

On Saturday (June 22), a statistic about how half of the 37-year-old's tally of Grand Slam tournament triumphs and year-end No. 1 finishes came after 2018 started doing the rounds on X.

The tennis community on social media subsequently disapproved of Novak Djokovic's impact on the men's field, arguing that he wouldn't have achieved as much if the competition was stronger. One fan summarized their reactions well, writing in the replies:

"The statpadding in the weak era is insane."

Another pointed out that both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were well into their 30s during the Serb's second swing at the top of the game. They wrote:

"With the decline of Fedal."

"I'm not sure building half your records after 31 is a good thing..." another claimed.

Here are a few more reactions:

"If you ever wondered why most people don’t consider Djokovic as the goat even though he has the most slams, this is exactly why," a fan wrote.

"Because Federer and Nadal were 37 and 32," one said.

"When Roger got @ the end in his late 30s," another echoed.

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Novak Djokovic's bid for 25th Major title in doubt as he recovers from knee surgery

Wimbledon 2023 trophy ceremony - Getty Images

Novak Djokovic was looking to break the record for most Major titles won by a man or a woman in tennis history this year. But the Serb has seemed to struggle with motivation issues and has faced injuries. After a lackluster first half of the 2024 season, he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee at the French Open.

The World No. 2 underwent surgery a few days later and has since resumed fitness training. He was also spotted practicing his groundstrokes on a tennis court a few days ago.

That said, he has yet to confirm his participation at Wimbledon, which begins in July.

According to a report from BBC, Djokovic will be traveling to SW19 despite not being fully fit. The 37-year-old is defending 1200 ATP ranking points at the grasscourt Major as he finished runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz last year.