Frances Tiafoe recently spoke up about 'not counting' Novak Djokovic as a challenger to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's dominance in contemporary men's tennis. However, the American's take irked several loyal fans of the legendary Serb, who continues to defy the odds despite being 38.Even though Djokovic hasn't won his 25th Major title following his 24th triumph at the US Open two years ago, he has made several deep runs at the Slams since then, including four semifinal finishes this year. In three out of the four semis he played in 2025, the Serb was defeated either by Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner.Recently, in an interview with Olympics.com ahead of his Japan Open campaign, Frances Tiafoe was asked to share his thoughts on the potential third and fourth players who can potentially step up to challenge Alcaraz and Sinner, who have shared the men's singles titles spanning all the Majors between them since the start of 2024. Here, the American refused to consider Novak Djokovic among those potential players. Citing the former No. 1's age, Tiafoe said:"There's a couple more guys who've got to join them. I'm not saying beat them, but there's got to be (other) guys - and that motivates me. I’m like, yo, who's that third guy? Who's that fourth guy? Novak (Djokovic) doesn't count. He’s 40. I love him, but doesn't count. He’s 40. He's a GOAT, he's the best player of all time. He's not with those guys."Several Djokovic loyalists on X (formerly Twitter) subsequently lashed out at the American, as they perceived his words as insults towards the Serb."Tiafoe has never beaten Djokovic and is a middling talent, so I don't really care what he thinks tbh. Djokovic made it to the semifinals of every single major last year," one wrote."Old man who still ranks higher and still plays better than him!," commented another."Well, if we're being honest, it's still Novak long before it's Frances," another fan chimed in."Tiafoe just sealed his early retirement," opined one."He’s entitled to his opinion and I know that him and Novak are buddies but watch out next time you face him across the net," another added."Tiafoe is 27 years old, managed to win 3 ATP tournaments in his whole career, never went past the semis in a Grand Slam, is not even Top 10, has a terrible win-loss ratio of 222:202....I´m like, Yo, Frances, you´ll not be the third guy. Yo, Frances, you´ll not be the fourth guy," weighed in yet another fan.Other fans refuse to label Frances Tiafoe's comments about Novak Djokovic as 'insults'Frances Tiafoe (left) and Novak Djokovic (right) share a lighthearted moment during a practice session at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty)Amid the ongoing backlash against Frances Tiafoe from Novak Djokovic's fans for the American's recent take on the Serb, there are several tennis fans who have perceived it differently. According to these fans, Tiafoe's words came from a place of understanding that in the long run, Djokovic won't be a threat for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because considering the Serb's age, he is likely to retire in the coming years."I’ve seen people interpret this as an insult but I think he’s trying to say, don’t rely on Novak. He’s older now, not in his prime and therefore shouldn’t be seen as a 3rd guy. It’s up to Sincaraz’s peers to step up, not a guy who is in a completely different stage of his career," one wrote."This isn't an insult Frances point is his peers got to step up. I don't see a young guy good at net except Jack Draper. The other young men don't serve & volley or chip & charge. You need a complete game beat Sinner & Alcaraz," commented another."I think his point is the next guys up should be closer to the age/generation of Carlos and Sinner. But if you want to interpret it as the most offensive way possible, is he wrong? How did Novak fare against those guys this year? What were Novak’s own words on the matter?," asked one fan.Interestingly, following his 2025 US Open semifinal loss to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, the former No. 1 himself conceded that keeping pace with the relentless physicality of Spaniard and Jannik Sinner is getting difficult for him. Even though the Serb voiced his desire to keep challenging for Slams, he suggested that he perhaps has a better chance against Alcaraz and Sinner in best-of-three-set matches instead of best-of-five. As things stand, the 24-time Slam winner's next competitive outing is set to come at this year's Shanghai Masters.