John McEnroe speaks out against ‘unfair’ treatment of ‘villain’ Novak Djokovic in Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal rivalry

Novak Djokovic has “turned lemons into lemonade” as he has used the “unfair treatment” he has received from tennis fans as fuel to surpass Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s overall achievements.

That is the verdict of tennis great John McEnroe.

Djokovic has often been cast as the “villain” in men’s tennis as he arrived at a time when Federer and Nadal dominated the sport and formed the Big Two.

But his sheer brilliance turned the Big Two into the Big Three and he eventually eclipsed most of the records that were held by Federer and Nadal, including overtaking both in the race for most Grand Slams and most weeks at No 1 in the ATP Rankings.

Federer ended his career with 20 Grand Slams while Nadal sits on 22 while Djokovic is already on 24. The Serbian has also spent an astonishing 428 weeks at No 1 with Federer next 310 while Nadal is a distant sixth in the overall list with 209 weeks.

Many believe the 37-year-old has won the greatest tennis player of all time debate, yet he still doesn’t get the same adulation and recognition as his two great rivals Federer and Nadal.

Despite his achievements, Federer’s retirement and Nadal’s inactivity in recent years due to injury, the Serbian is still on the receiving end of boos and cheers on the court and criticism away from the court.

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McEnroe says Djokovic is “great” for tennis as he shared his thoughts on the treatment of the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

“Novak has not only equalled them [Federer and Nadal] but surpassed them in overall achievements, which seemed impossible,” the former world No 1 told Metro.co.uk.

“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. I guess you need a good guy and a bad guy in a way. It can help the sport when you have rivalries like that.

“I think it’s been unfair, honestly, because he is great for the game. On and off the court.

“He’s been able to do something that I wasn’t able to do nearly as well which is turning lemons into lemonade.

“You know, when people want to see the underdog or someone else winning, he somehow uses that as fuel to help him. That’s an incredible quality which you can’t underestimate.”