Djokovic is perhaps the mentally strongest athlete in the world, but all the trolling with respect to the Adria Tour chaos has become too much to take even for him. The 17-time Slam champion seemed to have reached his breaking point when he hit back at his critics for launching a ‘witch-hunt’ against him.
But in such testing circumstances, the World No. 1 has found an ally in Gilles Simon. The Frenchman has been the most vehement defender of Novak Djokovic in the aftermath of the Adria Tour disaster.
After launching a scathing counter-attack against Djokovic’s critics last week, Simon was at it again in an interview with L’Equipe on Wednesday. And he even dragged Roger Federer into the conversation.
We only talk about Novak Djokovic’s flaws: Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon reiterated his earlier comments, emphasizing the bias against Novak Djokovic in the tennis community. The Frenchman believes the media has played a big role in creating the “unloved legend” image for the Serb.
Simon pointed out that Novak Djokovic’s faults are deliberately highlighted in the media, while Roger Federer always comes off smelling of roses.
The 35-year-old added that Novak Djokovic is given such unfair treatment by the media and fans because they don’t want to see him overtake Roger Federer’s records. The most prestigious of those are the Grand Slam record, where the Serb has managed to cut the Swiss Maestro’s lead to three, and the weeks at No. 1 - where Djokovic currently trails Federer by a mere 28 weeks.
Only Novak Djokovic is working for the interests of players: Gilles Simon
Gilles Simon had no shortage of words while showering praises on Novak Djokovic. The Frenchman stressed that Djokovic, who is also the ATP Player Council President, is the only top player actively working for the interests of lower-ranked players.
The World No. 54 believes that the Adria Tour fiasco has given the media what they wanted all along: a chance to discount all of Djokovic’s efforts as the Player Council President.
Gilles Simon also took time to lambaste American Noah Rubin, who has been one of the front-runners in the “witch-hunt” against Novak Djokovic. Rubin had minced no words in his criticism of Novak Djokovic for neglecting his Council duties, after the World No. 1 missed a group call involving over 400 players.
In response, Simon asserted that the American should be thankful Novak Djokovic is the one representing his (and other lower ranked players’) interests. He also warned Rubin that asking Djokovic to resign would be like committing career suicide.
“We lost Roger Federer along the way” - Simon on Federer’s Council Presidency
While highlighting Novak Djokovic’s commendable efforts as President, Simon also pointed out the lack of success in the same role for his predecessor Roger Federer. The Frenchman emphasized how far the Council has come along with Djokovic at the helm instead of the Swiss.
Roger Federer was the President of the ATP Player Council from 2008 to 2014, and Simon feels the 20-time Slam champion didn’t do enough to preserve the tour’s interests.
When asked what Novak Djokovic does differently from Roger Federer, the Frenchman said the Serb understands the situation of lower-ranked players better.
0 votes
