Novak Djokovic: I was like an unwanted child in the trio

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Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic, 38, has poured his heart out in a recent Failures of Champions interview with Slaven Bilic. And his fans will be very touched by some of his statements. Despite winning a record 24 Grand Slam titles, more than Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (22), and a better head-to-head record, the Serbian has said that he was never admired as much as the Swiss star or the Spanish champ. 

“The two of them [Federer and Nadal] had already developed a rivalry before I came along because Nadal broke through a few years before me. They come from Switzerland, from Spain, so Western powers. There are these orientations and there are affiliations. I never achieved the same level of adoration as Federer and Nadal because, in a way, I wasn’t supposed to disrupt their narrative. I was the third man who boldly declared, ‘I’m going to be No. 1.’ Not everyone welcomed that,” said former World No. 1 Djokovic. “I felt like the unwanted child in the trio. I often questioned why that was the case, and it was painful. I thought changing my demeanour might win them over, but that proved ineffective too,” added the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medallist.

Djokovic though quickly clarified that he has nothing against either Federer or Nadal: “Just because someone is my biggest rival, it doesn’t mean I wish them harm, hate them, or want to do anything else on the court to defeat them. We fought for the win, and the better player won. I’ve always respected both Federer and Nadal. I’ve never said a single bad word about them and never will. I looked up to them and still do. But I’ve always gotten along better with Nadal. When we compare Federer, Nadal and me, Federer is the most talented, the most beautiful to watch, he moved so elegantly, so efficiently, while Nadal is the other contrast, the other extreme, physicality is maximum. And I’m somewhere in between, but more towards Nadal.”

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