As Novak Djokovic approaches the later stages of his career, the intensity of voices within his inner circle is growing. Srdjan Djokovic, the 36-year-old’s father, has been a vocal presence following his son’s Wimbledon loss.
In July, the Serbian entrepreneur had words of wisdom to pass on to his son regarding his retirement that didn’t sit well with the 24-time Grand Slam champion. In a subsequent interview, Srdjan also launched criticism against Novak’s closest rivals, suggesting they were envious of his son’s success.
Djokovic’s father takes aim at Federer
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been Novak Djokovic’s biggest competitors over the years. The three horsemen of the golden age of tennis formed the ‘Big 3’ of the sport, and together they have won 66 grand slams.
However, Srdjan Djokovic was not particularly impressed with Federer’s character, as he took aim at the Swiss maestro for supposedly discrediting his son during their days together on the tennis court.
“Federer is perhaps still the best tennis player in history, but as a man, he’s the opposite,” Srdjan told Serbian newspaper Kurir.
“When he attacked Novak at the Davis Cup in Geneva [in 2006], he realized that he was his successor and was trying to discredit him in every way. Novak’s success is an amazing thing and something that one cannot understand,” he added.
Srdjan also criticized Nadal, stating that their friendship had waned due to competition with Novak. However, he had words of praise for Andy Murray, mentioning that he never experienced jealousy from the Brit and his family.
Novak’s rivalry with Federer, in particular, has had fans’ hearts in their mouths over the years. Together, the pair have produced nerve-wracking matches, often in high-stakes situations such as a grand slam final.
In how many Grand Slam finals did Federer lose to Djokovic?
Novak Djokovic has defeated Federer four times in grand slam finals: once at the US Open and three times at Wimbledon.
The most recent encounter was in the 2019 Wimbledon final, where Djokovic triumphed in a thrilling five-set match that lasted for over five grueling hours. Notably, Federer hasn’t won against the Serbian in a grand slam final since their meeting in the 2007 US Open final, which Djokovic lost in straight sets.
Djokovic is an all-court player and while Federer does do well on all surfaces, his achievements on grass in particular have had fans label him the ‘king of grass’, a moniker similar to Nadal’s ‘king of clay’. Thus, for Djokovic to triumph over the Swiss in three Wimbledon finals, despite having met Federer only after the Swiss turned 30, is no easy feat and the Serb can take credit for his incredible achievement.
Federer still holds the grass court record for most consecutive wins – 65 in total. However, Novak surged ahead of the Swiss in number of grand slams won and achieved the rare feat of winning 24 grand slams in September at the US Open.
What are your opinions on Srdjan Djokovic’s attack on Roger Federer? Does his son feel the same way? Let us know in the comments section below.
