In an interview with CNN, Novak Djokovic spoke in particular about the strong competition from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that he had to manage during his career.
Without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, what would Novak Djokovic’s career have looked like? This is perhaps one of the questions that will forever haunt the Serb’s mind once he hangs up. Indeed, without the Swiss and the Spaniard, the record of the native of Belgrade (35 years old) could be quite different, they all have at least 20 Grand Slam titles. However, this strong competition has visibly allowed “Nole” to improveas he recently confided.
Absent in Indian Wells and Miami, the world number two recently spoke on the subject. “At the beginning of my professional career, when I started to break through, we only talked about them, on the men’s circuit, there was only Federer and Nadal, their rivalry was central. We didn’t talk about their opposite style of play and the epic matches they played. It was a bit hard for me to get into the debate, ”remembered Djokovic at first.
“Federer and Nadal made me suffer”
“I had to work, work and achieve great things to be considered, to be accepted into the club of these two players. It was truly an honor to be part of their era. At one point I was really upset to have to play alongside them but now, looking back and looking back at everything I’ve been through with these players, I’m grateful because they made me the player that I am today. They made me stronger mentally and physically, later admitted the Serb, who now seems to be aiming only for Grand Slam victories, in an interview with CNN. My game improved because of all those games we played against each other and mainly because of the games I lost against them. Big matches. They made me doubt, they made me suffer and made me think deeply with my team about how to be better on the court. »
