Once again, Novak Djokovic has fallen short of winning one of the few awards that elude him. Despite Djokovic dominating the tour in 2023, Italian star Jannik Sinner was given the ATP’s Fans’ Favorite title.
Djokovic had a fantastic year. He advanced to the Wimbledon final but lost to Carlos Alcaraz despite winning the Australian, French, and US Opens.
The veteran also won a range of other tournaments to comfortably finish as the year-end world No. 1. But Djokovic might be frustrated over missing out on being named the official favourite player among the tennis community.
Fans are asked to vote for their favourite player among the top 25 in the world. Remarkably, Roger Federer won the award for a staggering 19 consecutive years before it was handed to Rafael Nadal in 2022.
Despite Federer and Nadal now largely out of the picture, with the former retired and the Spaniard injured for most of 2023, Djokovic has still not been voted the fans’ favourite player. That honour has instead been given to Sinner.
In an incredible breakthrough year, the 22-year-old won four tournaments at the tour level and shot up to No. 4 in the ATP rankings.
In the summer, he advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals and led Italy to the Davis Cup championship.
Sinner, who is only the fifth recipient of the honor, has grown to be a public favorite. Federer ruled it for 20 years after it was first awarded in 2000.
Even though Djokovic frequently expresses dissatisfaction about his interactions with audiences, he won’t be unduly disturbed by his inability to win the trophy. After being made fun of, he implored British Davis Cup supporters in November to “shut up” and “show more respect.”
The 24-time Grand Slam victor, in the meantime, has declared that he is eager to win additional championships in 2024. The Serbian claims that “a beast” has awakened due to the success of a few young players, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner.
“The young guys who are very hungry and very inspired to play their best tennis against me is an additional motivation,” Djokovic stated to CBS. “I think they kind of awaken a beast in me.”
The rivalry between Djokovic and Alcaraz was a prominent feature of the tennis season. The 20-year-old defeated him in the Wimbledon final this summer, but he exacted revenge a month later in the Cincinnati Masters.
Due to Alcaraz’s decline in form toward the conclusion of the year, Djokovic concluded the year as the top player in the world.
