Nadal voted favorite amongst French fans but Federer adjudged to have best career
A recent survey carried out in France shows that Rafael Nadal is the favorite tennis player of the French audience. Such is the Spaniard's popularity in this part of the world that he is way ahead of his two rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
The survey had a sample size of 1,004 people representative of the French population aged 18 and above, including 375 tennis enthusiasts who also gave their verdict.
The results show that Rafael Nadal won 42% of the votes, while Federer received 33% and Djokovic 20%.
Lucky 13 for Rafael Nadal as the Spaniard relishes French Open success https://t.co/XqZo8EKYWh
One of the reasons for his popularity is certainly the fact that Nadal has won 65% of his Grand Slam titles in Paris. He has only lost thrice in over 100 matches he has played at Roland Garros. This has won him the hearts of the French people.
Nadal made headlines when he won his first French Open title at the age of 19 in 2005. Who knew then that the Spaniard would continue to dominate the Grand Slam for another 16 years!
#Nadal at French Open since 13 years...
🏆 2005
🏆 2006
🏆 2007
🏆 2008
❌ 2009 R16 (Soderling)
🏆 2010
🏆 2011
🏆 2012
🏆 2013
🏆 2014
❌ 2015 QF (Djokovic)
❌ 2016 R3 (Walkover)
🏆 2017
🏆 2018
#RG18 https://t.co/RvEUiXDstL
Although Nadal is yet to win the Paris Masters, fans still prefer him because of his remarkable feats and astounding record at Roland Garros.
However, the survey found that for the fans who follow tennis beyond the courts of Porte d'Auteuil, i.e. those 375 tennis enthusiasts, it is Federer who is loved the most. The Swiss maestro received 43% of their votes in comparison to Nadal's 33%. Novak Djokovic once again stood in third place with 23% of the votes.
Roger Federer edges past Rafael Nadal for the player with the best career
Even though Nadal rules the hearts of French fans, when it came to deciding the player with the best tennis career so far, the same fans favored Federer over Nadal and Djokovic.
The race was extremely close, with Federer receiving 39% of the votes while Nadal received 38%. However, when the votes of the 375 enthusiasts were considered separately, Federer swept the poll, winning 49% of the votes while Nadal could only manage 31%.
Thus, according to the survey, it is quite evident that although Roger Federer has turned forty, he continues to be the biggest icon in the sport. But when it comes to tennis fans in France, Rafael Nadal is clearly a lot closer to their hearts than Federer or Djokovic.
Also read: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, or Rafael Nadal? Who took the least time to reach the magic number of 20 Grand Slam titles?