When Benedict Cumberbatch hosted the Laureus Sportsman of the Year award earlier in May this year in Shanghai, the main category of the night was a close contest and at times debatable. It could have been argued that Novak Djokovic took the prize away luckily as he had only won Wimbledon in 2014. Marc Marquez and Lewis Hamilton had much more dominant years behind the wheels. Rory Mclroy had won two golfing majors in a calendar year which in itself is a quite an achievement.
There lies the question. Will Novak Djokovic make your fan favourite list or not ? Here are 5 reasons why he might miss the cut.
1. Federer will always be the fan favourite.
There is no doubt that Roger’s style is always been one that attracted the crowds. The finesse , the brand of tennis and the touch he displayed over the years and still continues to do so on the court has won plaudits all over the globe. His soft and often sentimental nature has been adored by many.Novak is much more direct and bold. In this aspects Novak has been from Roger’s league as one could imagine.
2. The Federer / Nadal Rivalry .
Roger and Rafa dominated the circuits from 2005 onwards in their own ways . Nadal s edge on their personal rivalry and Federer overall prowess in the grand slams made it an unmatchable duel in the previous decade.Who can forget the superb the 3 successive Wimbledon finals of 2006-2008 and the Australian open final of 2009.Simply breathtaking. If the rivalry was on court then their friendship off the court made it even more unique.
3. Failure to win the Grand Slam .
Its been a great year for Novak. He has reached every grand slam final and was one win away from claiming the French open in order to compete the career grand slam . That win could have also on reflection now be the difference between a calendar grand slam since Laver’s 1969 feat , the last male tennis player to complete the feat . His failure to win the French does pose questions for the purists . The French clay has disappointed many in the quest for a career grand slam. Just ask Boris , Stefan and “Pistol” Pete.
4. Feigning the injury in the Australian Open Final .
Andy Murray fans won’t be impressed by what happened in Melbourne earlier this year. Andy had just tied the final by striking back and winning the second set. Early on in the 3rd set, Novak showed signs that the wasn’t 100 %. He was limping gingerly on the court as if stunned by the Murray onslaught. That however kind of backfired for Murray who didn’t know how to react as Novak bounced back like his usual self.
5. Funny Impersonations or Are they ?
There is a funny side indeed to Novak. He loves to impersonate. He has been labelled as a clown but he is quite good at it. Though providing great post match entertainment, sometimes he overdoes it. He has impersonated many of his compatriots including Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, John McEnroe and his coach Boris Becker.
Having said that, If Benedict has a chance to host a third straight Laureus event, based on 2015 alone, few would dispute Novak winning it again as he thoroughly dominated the year of tennis if not the fans.
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