Djokovic won a mentally exhausting Wimbledon final against Federer earlier this month to earn his fourth Grand Slam title in the last five.
He has now jumped up to 16 career Grand Slams, two shy of Nadal and four behind Federer’s record tally of 20.
And almost six years Federer’s junior, Djokovic certainly has time on his hands to potentially overtake the Swiss tennis star.
Yet despite Djokovic’s incredible career and his achievements, he has struggled to garner anywhere close to the fandom of both Federer and Nadal.
But Roddick has jumped to the defence of the 32-year-old, hoping to see Djokovic gain the respect he deserves.
“For Novak to go through Roger and Rafa [in] some of their prime years to get to where he is in the game [is impressive],” he said.
“It’s been the Roger-Rafa show for a long time and now, oh, by the way, Novak’s sitting at 16 Grand Slams.
“So I don’t want people to undersell what he’s done.
“You start reeling off some of the names like McEnroe, Connors and Andre, they had seven, eight and eight Slams.
“Novak has 16. Then they go okay, and then the weight of those names and what he’s accomplished settles in.
“I hope people, one, appreciate what Novak has done and two, I think there’s certainly an appetite for what Roger and Rafa have accomplished.”
The dominance of the ‘big three’ looks unlikely to slow down anytime soon with pressure mounting on the younger players to challenge more.
But Roddick believes the focus should instead be on trying to enjoy the golden era of tennis while they’re still competing instead of looking for the next best thing.
“I think there’s such an appetite with the news cycle that’s out there and the availability of content, I think the natural shift is to what’s next,” he added.
“Everyone always wants to know what’s next.
“A story sits for two hours and then something happens the next day and it’s gone. Tennis is no different.
“I hope people sit back and enjoy, take a moment with these guys and the way they’re playing and what they’re doing to the record books. I hope people appreciate every last shot that these guys hit.”
