French player Gilles Simon feels there is a definite dichotomy in the way the tennis world treats Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, focusing only on the former’s flaws and the latter’s strengths.
Simon agreed that the Adria Tour was a mistake, and it undid all the good work Djokovic had done before it, especially helping set up funds for the lower ranked players.
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“I tell myself that Novak is trying to tackle complicated issues in the interest of the players in general,” Simon said in an interview to French publication L’Equipe.
“And I was bothered by this story of the Adria Tour because, by making a huge mistake, all this work fell apart.
“It’s a ‘media game’ that wants that. After the errors with Adria Tour, all his (Djokovic’s) work is reduced. It is easy to say: ‘Never listen to him again!’ now for the media.
“I see Djokovic like any human being, with his strengths and flaws. But with Roger Federer, we only talk about his strengths. With Novak – only about his flaws.
“It would annoy everyone if Djokovic breaks Federer’s records. It angers people that he is so strong. The anger against Novak is a huge mistake. Much of the public doesn’t consider him as (important as) Roger or Rafa (Nadal).”
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Simon, a former top-10 player, also said that Federer was not interested in representing players anymore despite his stature.
“I knew Roger would step up to the plate when there were discussions on the prize money of the Grand Slams a while ago,” the 35-year-old said.
“But the impression I have is that we lost him on the way, that the representation of the players does not matter to him. If there is a voice that carries, it is his.”
