"Federer speaks elegance, Nadal was a fighter, but no one likes the third party": Bartoli believes Djokovic will end career without acclaim of tennis fans

Former world No. 7 Marion Bartoli shared her opinion on the fans' affection for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

The three greatest Grand Slam winners have divided fans' preferences for two decades. Despite Djokovic having the most Grand Slam titles, Bartoli believes that he might not end his career with universal fan love.

In a conversation with Tennis365, the former world No. 7 mentioned that the timing of their careers is what led to the fan divide.

"It was more the timing than anything. If you talk to all the players and fans around the world, people like Novak's personality and have a lot of respect for his game," said Bartoli.

According to the former French tennis player, fan affection is unevenly divided among the members of the Big Three:

"Roger [Federer] speaks elegance, Rafa [Nadal], on the other hand, was considered a fighter who won 14 times at Roland Garros. But nobody likes the third party [Djokovic]," said the Frenchwoman.

"If Novak had had just one other major competitor, he would have had a much larger fan base," she added.

"I think he's gained everyone's respect, but when it comes to love it's a little different. It's just human nature to cheer for one or the other and you don't want the third," said Bartoli.

The 2013 Wimbledon champion also expressed her opinion that Djokovic will finish his career as the player with the most Grand Slam titles and will continue to achieve accomplishments before retiring from professional tennis.

"I think when he ends his career, he will most likely be the one with the most Grand Slam wins and also the one who has achieved everything else," said the 38-year-old.

Djokovic recently claimed the title at the Cincinnati Open in an epic final against the world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, with a score of 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-5(4). At the US Open, he will aim for his 24th Grand Slam starting on Monday. Djokovic has won the US Open three times before (2011, 2015, 2018).