Novak Djokovic is the 3rd wheel to Federer & Nadal in fan support, but his achievements have proven he is no 3rd wheel: Todd Martin

The GOAT race between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has captured the imagination of the tennis community in recent times. The 'Big 3' have been breaking record after record over the last decade, which has prompted fans and experts alike to come up with a variety of factors by which to rank them.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is on the cusp of beating Roger Federer's long-standing record for weeks spent at World No. 1. He has already equaled Pete Sampras' record of ending six years at the top of the rankings, and at 17 Slams he is in prime position to either equal or surpass the record for most Majors won too.

In terms of fan following, however, the Serb still trails his two biggest rivals at most tennis venues. And Todd Martin, a two-time Grand Slam finalist and former coach of Novak Djokovic, recently weighed in on the arguably unjustified imbalance that is prevalent today.

"One of the beauties of life is that life is not fair," said Martin. "Novak is the third wheel from a public adoration standpoint. But his achievements have proved that he is no third wheel from a capability standpoint."

Novak Djokovic has the 'I’m going through a brick wall' mentality: Todd Martin

Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon 2019

Martin joined hands with Novak Djokovic in 2008, but was not a long-term member of his coaching team. His short stint was enough to convince Martin about the Serb's mental strength though.

"Having worked with him, when he is focused he has that ‘I’m going through a brick wall’ mentality," said Martin.

The American claimed that the World No. 1's greatest strength is that he does not have to be at his best to win, because he is a 'fighter' who always relishes a challenge.

"Now he is not always as focused, but when he is and we have seen this for long stretches, he doesn’t have to play great," Martin said. "He is that much of a fighter and thrives on it."

The Serb has touched base in Adelaide ahead of his defence of the ATP Cup and the Australian Open.

If he wins the title in Melbourne this year, it would extend his record tally at the Slam to 10 and bring him within two Majors of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic is also all but guaranteed to eclipse Federer's record of most weeks at No. 1 by March.