Rafael Nadal wasn’t initially adored by tennis fans as many preferred the “most loved player” Roger Federer, but things changed once Novak Djokovic arrived on the scene.

That is the view of former world No 6 Gilles Simon in a wide-ranging interview.

The Big Three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer dominated men’s tennis for the best part of two decades as they shared 66 Grand Slams between them and set numerous other milestones along the way.

Federer initially led the way as he made his major breakthrough at Wimbledon in 2003, but his stranglehold was broken when Nadal arrived in 2005 with his French Open title and they formed the Big Two.

Djokovic – who won his first major at the 2008 Australian Open – then made it the Big Three and he eventually went on to broke several of Federer and Nadal’s records, including the Open Era Grand Slam record as he sits on 24 with Nadal on 22 and Federer 20.

But Djokovic has not always received the love and affection of Federer and Nadal as fans didn’t like the fact that he broke up the original Big Two.

In an interview with RG Media and CLAY, Simon says Nadal was also initially an outcast.

“Remember, Roger was the most loved player, maybe ever. And most fans didn’t like Rafa when he showed up,” the Frenchman said.

“But they started liking him more when Novak came on the scene. I’m 100% sure of it. Rafa became more appreciated once fans started comparing him to Novak instead of Roger.”

He added: “Novak was already better than most when he arrived, but he was still behind Roger and Rafa.

“I don’t think many people believed he’d surpass them — not even Roger and Rafa themselves. So when he started doing it, people didn’t like it. Everyone loved the Roger–Rafa rivalry. They didn’t want a third guy.”

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According to Simon, Djokovic has always been “true to himself” and his decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 proved that.

The Serbian was infamously deported from Australia in 2022 after he refused to get inoculated and he subsequently missed several other big events, including the 2023 US Open.

“He was the ‘villain’ early on, but here’s what I admire the most — he’s true to himself. For example, refusing the vaccine even if it meant giving up Slam records. He didn’t fake it,” the 14-time ATP Tour singles title winner said.

“In the beginning, he tried to please everyone, get more attention, and that came off as inauthentic. Eventually, he said: ‘This is who I am. I’m Novak Djokovic. Like me or not—I know who I am.’ That kind of stance earned him respect.”

The Frenchman feels the 24-time Grand Slam winner is finally getting the love he deserves, stating: “When he said he wanted to break Roger’s and Rafa’s records, people thought it was arrogant.

“But now that he’s done it — you have to tip your hat. He’s earned the respect, and now he’s even getting love from fans and the whole tennis world. That wasn’t there in the beginning.”

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