than either Rafa or Novak; Rafa’s English is still terrible. Not surprisingly, Roger is much more popular in all English-speaking and Anglophile nations, along with Francophone and German-speaking countries. In the rest of the world, the Roger-Rafa split is much more even, in my experience. Novak also has the disadvantage of being Serbian, which doesn’t make him popular in many parts of the world, after Serbian shenanigans in the Balkans over the last few decades.

Novak’s personality and abrasiveness also work against him with the fans, as Nadal’s OCD works against him. And in recent years, Federer’s age helps Roger with fans, IMO.