'He's worked hard to build this persona' - Noah Rubin on why Roger Federer is more loved than Novak Djokovic
Gilles Simon had kicked up a storm with his comments about Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic following the Adria Tour controversy. The Frenchman had claimed that the fans and media keep trying to make Roger Federer look flawless, while at the same time painting Novak Djokovic as the antagonist.
Since then there have been several debates on Federer and Djokovic's relative popularity, and the reasons for the apparent disparity. And in the most recent episode of the Tennis Majors podcast 'Match Point', Noah Rubin, Marion Bartoli and Ben Rothenberg discussed the issue extensively.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are on different pedestals: Noah Rubin
The only active player among the panelists, Noah Rubin claimed that for some reason or the other Roger Federer is often portrayed as the 'good guy'. However, the American believes that it is to the credit of the World No. 4 that he has created such a likable image over the years.
"Over the years, whether it is because of being the fan favorite or something else, Roger Federer has created this persona," said Rubin. "I think a lot of fans also remember Novak Djokovic and his scandal about faking an injury and other things he started, for which he got a PR team to build him up from those positions."
Rubin was seemingly referring to the incident during the Australian Open final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in 2015, which the Serb won 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-0. Djokovic was heavily criticized for falling to the floor and limping between points in the crucial third set; Murray later claimed he was distracted by it all.
"There's some mistakes that Djokovic has made. Federer has as well but at different levels. I think at this point, they are on different pedestals. I do think that Djokovic has to fight what the media is saying but Federer has built this from the ground up, he has worked very hard," Rubin added.
"Federer was a racquet-throwing 18-year-old that turned into this perfect persona, that despite making a few mistakes, has upheld those high standards," he went on.
Noah Rubin had himself criticized Novak Djokovic recently for missing the ATP player conference set up to decide the plan of action amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The World No. 225 believes Djokovic's missteps have piled up over the years, giving him a less-than-ideal image compared to Roger Federer.
Former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli also weighed in on the debate, and claimed that it was wrong to say Roger Federer's flaws are always overlooked. She pointed out that the Swiss also gets called out every once in a while - like in the recent instance where fans criticized him for not wearing a mask.
"I don't think we protect Roger every single time," Bartoli said. "He has been able to build this image of the perfect person. Knowing him, he is not far from it but he has made mistakes, like recently he was photographed with somebody without a mask in pictures that came up online."
"I don't think the treatment is that different for Novak and Roger, and Djokovic will learn from what he has done and the consequences. He will probably try to build a better persona, but to say Roger can do anything and nobody will touch him is taking it too far," she added.
Never seen a partisan crowd like I saw at the 2015 US Open final: Journalist Ben Rothenberg
Renowned journalist Ben Rothenberg also gave his thoughts on the 'good guy vs bad guy' debate, and agreed that Novak Djokovic's popularity pales in comparison to Roger Federer's. He specifically referred to the 2015 US Open final, where the crowd was heavily biased in favor of the Swiss.
"I don't know where that (Federer's appeal over Novak Djokovic) comes from," Rothenberg said. "I was at the 2015 US Open final between them and I have never heard a partisan and loud crowd that I heard in favour of Federer. Djokovic won that match but it was the most loud, charged matches I have been at."
Gilles Simon had also alleged that the media has an unfounded bias against Novak Djokovic, but Rothenberg disagreed with that view. He claimed that it was, instead, a case of fans having made a personal preference - of choosing Roger Federer over the Serb.
"I don't think it necessarily comes from the media," Rothenberg said. "I think fans have made that personal preference for themselves. Fans have just gravitated to Federer more."
"Roger deserves a lot of credit for that," he continued. "For building this brand and a persona that has appealed to people. It's not effortless, he has worked very hard for that."
Rothenberg went on to suggest that Novak Djokovic is simply unlucky to be playing in the same era as Roger Federer. According to the American, Federer is the most popular player in tennis history.
"Novak Djokovic too is not a very unpopular person. It is just hard to compare yourself to Roger Federer, who is probably the most loved tennis champion of all time," Rothenberg concluded.