Is Novak Djokovic Ready to Be the People's Champion with Federer, Nadal Fading?

Novak Djokovic loves entertaining tennis crowds, and with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fading from the scene, the spotlight on the Serbian shines bright.

But can Djokovic finally play the lead?

He's clearly the No. 1 player. He leads the ATP World Tour in the rankings and this year's singles race. He's won five of the last seven Grand Slams. However, in terms of tennis star power, for most of his career, Djokovic has been a supporting cast member in the Federer and Nadal show. 

When Djokovic arrived on the scene, the Federer-Nadal rivalry was captivating fans. The two titans dominated tennis between 2005 and 2010. 

Even after a couple of Grand Slam wins elevated him to the top of the tour, Djokovic failed to secure leading-man status. Instead, he became a member of an ensemble called the Big Four. This group included Andy Murray, who had achieved far less on the court but somehow managed as much fanfare as Djokovic. 

This week, Federer announced he's finished for 2016. Nadal is working on a comeback but hasn't played since the French Open. 

Djokovic is the only member of the Big Four playing at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. This makes him the main draw. He recognizes the absences of Federer and Nadal are a prelude to the inevitable changing of the guard. 

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Djokovic told the Toronto Star's Morgan Campbell: “Obviously we have a new generation coming up that is already established in top 10 of the world, like [Kei] Nishikori and [Milos] Raonic and now Dominic Thiem. It’s a natural cycle of life and sport. New faces are coming up and challenging the best players in the world.”

But none of those new faces have Grand Slam hardware. Djokovic's accomplishments puts him among the all-time greats. If star power were purely based on tennis, Djokovic would be soaring above Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe and cruising close to Pete Sampras' galaxy.

So why in the world is Djokovic hovering so close to Nishikori's orbit?

Djokovic is winning almost everything. Still, for all that winning, he has yet to transcend tennis culture in the way Federer, Nadal, Serena Williams and even Maria Sharapova have. 

During the Australian Open, Matthew Syed of the Times (h/t the Australian) pondered why Djokovic struggled to generate mega-star wattage. Syed wrote: "He is a decent man, an assiduous husband, courteous in his actions, beloved by his countrymen, and now, having won an 11th Grand Slam title, including five out of the past six, one of the finest players to have flicked a racket. And yet he still plays with crowds fiercely against him."

Maybe if Djokovic won a Calendar Slam. That would certainly separate him from his contemporaries. 

Just winning is obviously not the answer. Djokovic already enjoys winning records against each member of the Big Four. The others can't make that claim. Which makes his understudy status even more remarkable. 

In September 2015, the Telegraph's Charlie Eccleshare, wrote: "Those successes, spread over seven-and-a-half years, have been achieved in a variety of different ways, but one aspect has remained pretty much constant: Djokovic’s opponent has had the crowd on his side."

Even with a Calendar Slam on the line, the Wimbledon crowds were solidly behind Sam Querrey when he upset Djokovic in the third round.

Why is that? What is that? 

Besides devoted Federer or Nadal fans, Djokovic isn't universally vilified. Yet he's never been fully embraced.

Despite being the only member of the Big Four at the Rogers Cup, Djokovic isn't even the leading man in Toronto. It's Raonic. Still, with Federer and Nadal fading fast, the stage is set for Djokovic. He might become the leading man by default. The question remains, can he carry the show?