"Talking rubbish, both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have weaknesses in their style" - Novak Djokovic fans react to Mats Wilander's take on Big 3

Eight-time Major winner Mats Wilander recently claimed that amongst the famed 'Big 3', Novak Djokovic is the most susceptible to surprise defeats when he's not at his best. The Serb's fans, however, haven't taken kindly to the Swede's comments if their reactions are anything to go by.

Wilander recently wrote in his column for L'Equipe that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer's "unique playing styles" made them more difficult customers for their opponents to put away. He also argued that currently the World No. 1's shotmaking is cleaner than it should be.

"Unlike Federer and Nadal, whose unique playing styles made it impossible for the opponent, he is not that difficult to play against when he is not at 100%," Mats Wilander said in his column. "His ball is so 'clean' that, technically, it is not a problem for the opponent. So, at the moment, everyone believes it. Novak has not become a mediocre player at all. But he is no longer so different from the other players on the circuit."

Wilander's opinions haven't found many takers, with a large section of Novak Djokovic fans on X (formerly Twitter) insisting that they make little to no sense. One claimed that, unlike his Big 3 rivals, the Serb's playing style was malleable to all of the prominent tennis surfaces.

"He is talking rubbish. Give me Djokovic's playing style anyday of the week. Both Federer and Nadal have weaknesses in their style i.e Fed with Clay and Nadal with Fast Courts. Nole's playing style is optimal for all surfaces.Even Nadal admitted he found no holes in Djoko's game," they wrote.

Another fan insisted that Mats Wilander's analysis of Djokovic's game was 'all over the place'.

"He is so all over the place that it’s hard to take him seriously," they wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from social media:

"Wilander's opinion changes every day. I wonder if he wakes up and can't remember what he said the day before," a fan wrote.

"Clean ball striking is bad when it’s Djokovic," wrote another.

"It is a shocking level of stupidity. Wilander is determined to destroy his own credibility," a fan wrote.

"This is one of the dumbest tennis takes I’ve heard," another wrote.

"Jealousy knows no bounds," a fan claimed.

"When has this clown ever said something smart?" another fan wrote.

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"Without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic wouldn't be where he is" - Mats Wilander

(L-R): Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic during Laver Cup 2022

Earlier this year, Mats Wilander was asked to give his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's 2023 dominance, which saw him win three of the four Majors of the year.

In response, the Swedish legend claimed that the big tournaments were easy pickings for the Serb because of the absence of his greatest rivals — Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

"He is not up against the same kind of calibre of players as Nadal and Federer and Murray as he used to be," Mats Wilander told Eurosport in January this year. "Also, I think he's much better - much better on grass and better on clay."

Furthermore, the seven-time Major winner said that Nadal and Federer had a part to play in Djokovic's successful career, as they motivated him to take his game to never-before-seen levels.

"And I think that's what we are starting to appreciate with Novak that we didn't when Federer and Nadal were around because they were the first to and Novak came and kind of disturbed the peace," he added. "Everybody wanted to see Federer and Nadal and he took it to the level where he passed them. Without them, he wouldn't be where he is."