"That's the tragedy of Novak Djokovic, he is less understood because he is not popular": Tennis journalist on Serb's 'GOAT' claim in Federer-Nadal era

Tennis journalist Chris Bowers suggested that Novak Djokovic's claim as the goat during the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal era wasn't as strong as it could have been as the Serb was less understood and not as popular as his two big rivals.

Federer and Nadal enjoyed a fantastic rivalry throughout the early 2000s, establishing themselves as tennis' favorite duo. Together, they secured an impressive streak of 11 consecutive Major wins, spanning from the 2005 French Open to the 2007 US Open.

The dynamic shifted when Djokovic entered the scene, winning his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open and rising to the rank of World No. 3. However, some fans couldn't accept a third player disrupting the harmony of what had been a two-man show.

Chris Bowers appeared on the latest episode of the 'Tennis Channel Inside-In' podcast and shared his thoughts on how Novak Djokovic's claim in the GOAT debate was affected due to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's popularity.

"That's the tragedy of [Novak] Djokovic. He is less understood because he is not popular, perhaps because he is the third man in the two-man show," Bowers said (at 57:00).

"People love the [Roger] Federer-[Rafael] Nadal rivalry and Djokovic was a slight interloper in that respect and ended up achieving more," he continued.

Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic collectively boast an impressive total of 66 Grand Slam titles. The Serb leads the pack with 24, followed closely by the Spaniard with 22 and the Swiss with 20.

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"The Novak Djokovic book is a much better book than the Roger Federer book" - Chris Bowers

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer pictured at Wimbledon 2022

Chris Bowers, who is also the biographer of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, claimed in the same podcast episode that Djokovic's book was "much better" than Federer's.

Bowers noted that Djokovic's background was more compelling, considering he came from a poorer family than Federer and experienced the hardships of war as a teenager during the 1999 NATO bombing of his hometown Belgrade.

"For me, the Djokovic book is a much better book than the Federer book. Federer, as much as I love him as a tennis player, he is just a middle-class boy from an affluent background in Basel. His parents worked in the chemical industry in Basel," Bowers said (at 56:00).

"Djokovic was a boy from poor background, but he was from modest surroundings and no history in tennis. It was a massive learning curve for the family, set against the background of real chaos. I mean, the Serbian economy at the time he was a teenager was really chaotic. When NATO bombed Belgrade, he had to move his practice every day," he continued.

Bowers then touched on the fact that Federer's book outsold Djokovic's, suggesting discrimination because of the greater popularity of the 20-time Grand Slam champion compared to his rival.

"Yet the Federer book sells ten to one better, which tells you something, if someone's more popular, their story will sell even if it's not as good a story as somebody less popular," Bowers said (at 56:53).