24-time Grand Slam winner, Novak Djokovic has expressed his thoughts on why he received resistance from greatest on-court rivals initially.
24-time Grand Slam winner, Novak Djokovic has expressed his thoughts on why he received resistance from greatest on-court rivals- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal- initially. The trio went on to form the moniker, Big 3 later on, but according to the Serbian, when he first broke onto the scene, he felt unaccepted by Federer and Nadal. However, he made it known that he does not carry any grudges about it as it is one of the primary conditions rivalries feeds on.
Novak Djokovic Says He Did Get Acceptance From Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Early On
Before the arrival of Djokovic as a Grand Slam contender, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal used to rule the scene. The two shared the majors and the fans were also divided into two halves. The emergence of Djokovic spoiled the party and as things panned out a third domineering force grew.
According to Djokovic, it was his confidence that fetched him success, as most players of that generation carried the mindset of just competing with Federer and Nadal, he on the other end not just wanted to take them on but to beat them. Reflecting on his effervescent self, Djokovic states that both Roger and Rafa weren’t apparently fond of his confidence and hence he did not get the acceptance early on from the duo.
“But I didn’t have the acceptance early on, ’cause I did go out on the court saying and showing that I’m confident that I want to win. And I don’t think that both of them maybe liked that in the early days,” the 37-year-old told GQ.
“Particularly because most of the players were going out to play them, not to win. And because of that confident stance, they probably were even more distanced from me. And that’s fine. I accepted it as it is. I understood the messaging that I got, which was we are rivals and nothing else.”
Novak Djokovic is aiming to win his 25th Grand Slam in the form of Australian Open 2025. He encountered some problems in Round 1 matchup against 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy, however, held on to beat the rookie after dropping the first set.
