John McEnroe denounces ‘unfair’ treatment of ‘bad guy’ Novak Djokovic in rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic “turned lemons into lemonade” by using the “unfair treatment” he received from tennis fans as fuel to surpass the overall achievements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

This is the verdict of tennis great John McEnroe.

Djokovic has often been portrayed as the “villain” of men’s tennis because he arrived at a time when Federer and Nadal dominated the sport and formed the Big Two.

But his genius transformed the Big Two into the Big Three and he eventually eclipsed most of the records held by Federer and Nadal, including surpassing both in the race for most Grand Slams and most weeks at number 1 in the ATP rankings.

Federer finished his career with 20 Grand Slams while Nadal has 22 while Djokovic already has 24. The Serb also spent an astonishing 428 weeks at No. 1 with Federer next 310 while Nadal is a distant sixth in the overall list with 209 weeks.

Many believe the 37-year-old has won the debate over greatest tennis player of all time, but he still doesn’t enjoy the same adulation and recognition as his two great rivals Federer and Nadal.

Despite his exploits, Federer’s retirement and Nadal’s inactivity in recent years due to injury, the Serbian is still the target of boos and cheers on court and criticism off court.

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McEnroe says Djokovic is ‘great’ for tennis as he shares his thoughts on treating the 24-time Grand Slam winner.

“Novak not only matched them (Federer and Nadal), but surpassed them in terms of overall achievements, which seemed impossible,” the former world No. 1 said. Metro.co.uk.

“These two guys, Rafa and Roger, they are total class artists. They are loved and respected around the world. Novak suffers unfair treatment.

“He’s the bad guy, the bad guy. I guess there has to be, in a way, a good guy and a bad guy. It can help the sport when there are rivalries like this.

“Honestly, I think it’s unfair, because he’s great for the game. On and off the pitch.

“He was able to do something I couldn’t do as well: turn lemons into lemonade.

“You know, when people want to see the underdog or someone else win, he somehow uses that as fuel to help him. This is an incredible quality that should not be underestimated.