"Why does John McEnroe still push such a lazy narrative?": Fans oppose American's take on Novak Djokovic's 'villain' image compared to Nadal & Federer

Tennis legend John McEnroe recently opposed the "unfair" villainizing of Novak Djokovic, saying that he didn't receive the status that was linked with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. His views on Djokovic, however, met with fans' heavy disapproval after.

In a recent interview with iNews, John McEnroe acknowledged that despite Novak Djokovic surpassing the records of Nadal and Federer, the Serb received unfair treatment. He referred to Djokovic as a "villain," contrasting him with the widely loved and respected Nadal and Federer.

“Rafa and Roger have legendary reputations, deservedly so. They’ve been incredible. Novak has not only equalled them but surpassed them in overall achievements, which seemed impossible, Both of those guys, Rafa and Roger, they are total class acts. They are loved and respected around the world. Novak gets the unfair treatment. He’s the villain, the bad guy," McEnroe said.

McEnroe's opinions later caught the attention of the fans when journalist James Gray highlighted them on X. Most of the users were not convinced by McEnroe's statement, with one fan questioning why the veteran continues to push a "lazy narrative." They wrote that they never saw Djokovic or Nadal as villains.

"Why does McEnroe still push such lazy narrative? I am a Federer fan, and have been annoyed by Nadal or Djokovic in past, but never seen them villains. Since Roger’s retirement, I was able to see Novak’s game more objectively, was amazed, and have only admiration for [him]," a fan said.

"He’s loved. The ‘unloved’ narrative came/ keeps coming from media alone. Even this article, you could have chosen million other topics - his tennis achievements, his charity work, his love for sports in general, his generosity towards young players … yet you’ve chosen this." Another fan wrote.

"Same in every sport, but the 'great' villains tend to get more recognition and respect after they have stopped playing. It is strange, though, how some fan favourites seem to get a free pass whatever they get up to on or off the court." A fan chimed in.

Another fan dismissed McEnroe's idea that Novak Djokovic lacks fan acceptance compared to Federer and Nadal. They believed that each of the "big three" had enough fans who loved them.

"Can these guys stop bullshi**ing? No one cares about love blah blah. All 3 have a good enough fanbase and are loved. We don't care about chokerer and dull fans' acceptance for nole. Goatovic has done it all." They commented.

One fan defended Djokovic by asserting that he surpasses both Nadal and Federer in character and skill, with a vast and devoted fanbase.

"Omg when is this BS going to stop? Novak is both a better man and a better player than these two and is LOVED by MILLIONS! Nadal showed his true face in Aus when he kicked his colleague while in the mud so I see no class there." They said.

A fan from India also backed Djokovic and countered John McEnroe's notions. They wrote that most of the people in their country love Djokovic and consider him the "GOAT".

"In India ….a country of 1.4 billion people …a huge majority of people loves Novak ….we don’t think Novak is a villain..he is the .. [Goat emoji] he is our darling." The fan opined.

Novak Djokovic captured his 23rd Grand Slam title last year after winning the French Open. With that, he surpassed Rafael Nadal's record of 22 majors. He further cemented his legacy by clinching his 24th major at the 2023 US Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the finals.

This victory established Djokovic as the player with the maximum number of Grand Slam titles in history, keeping him ahead of Nadal and Federer's Grand Slam records.

Moreover, the Serb narrowly leads in the head-to-head tally 30-29 over Rafael Nadal. However, Nadal has an 11-7 lead over Djokovic in the Grand Slams. Djokovic also leads in the the head-to-head record 27–23, against Roger Federer including 11–6 at the Majors.

John McEnroe praised Novak Djokovic for his attitude and defended him over boos from fans during the French Open last year

Western & Southern Open - Day 4

In an interview with Eurosport during the French Open last year, John McEnroe praised Novak Djokovic for his on-court attitude.

The 65-year-old defended Djokovic against the crowd's jeers following his medical time-out during his third-round match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. McEnroe praised Djokovic's ability to turn challenges into opportunities.

"Sometimes his attitude on the court fuels him," McEnroe said. "You'd rather be respected than loved. You'd rather have both if possible, but he's handled it well. He has been mature about it and he's been pretty successful turning lemons into lemonade. To me, he's better than anyone at that to ever play the game."

After an incredible season last year, Novak Djokovic has yet to clinch a title this year. The Serb reached the semifinals of the Australian Open but lost to eventual champion Jannik Sinner in four sets. He then suffered a disappointing third-round exit in Indian Wells before a semifinal finish at the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The Serb suffered a disastrous third-round exit at the Italian Open before entering the French Open. He reached the quarterfinals after consecutive five-set wins in the third and fourth rounds.

However, the 36-year-old injured his knee during the tournament and thus, withdrew ahead of his last-eight clash against Casper Ruud. He has since undergone knee surgery and is currently practicing at Wimbledon. However, Djokovic is yet to give an official notice regarding his participation in the grass-court Major.

The Serb's inability to defend his French Open title saw him fall down to third in the ATP rankings. However, he rose to second after Carlos Alcaraz suffered an early exit in his title defense at the Queen's Club Championships in London.