Roger Federer has admitted he did not give Novak Djokovic “the respect he deserved” when he first emerged as a contender during the great era of men’s tennis.
Djokovic struggled to gain the same level of support among fans as Federer and Rafael Nadal because he was seen as a ‘party crasher’, the 20-time Grand Slam champion says.
“I think he’s a bit misunderstood,” he says of Djokovic in a new behind-the-scenes documentary, Federer: Twelve Final Days, on Amazon Prime.
Djokovic, who has now surpassed Federer’s achievements with a total of 24 Grand Slams, was once dismissed as a real great by his Swiss rival, the documentary suggests.
“I played against him for the very first time in Monaco [Federer won 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in 2006] and I walked off the court and thought, ‘Yes, he’s doing well,'” Federer said.
“Even though there was hype around him, I wasn’t really convinced. I don’t think I gave Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical shortcomings. I felt like Novak had a very extreme forehand grip and to me his backhand wasn’t as fluid as it is today. But then he ironed those things out really well and became an incredible monster of a player.
Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray have long received increasing praise from fans as men’s tennis has reached new levels over the past fifteen years.
“I think he was the party crasher of Rafa and Roger fans,” Federer said. “There was a lot of love there for Rafa-Roger, so when Novak came, a lot of people probably said, ‘Look, we don’t need a third guy. We are happy with Roger and Rafa’.
“The Federer fans didn’t really like him at first because they thought, ‘Roger is a little bit easier, he does it with ease.’ Then Novak came in with his strong personality and that incredible courage to want to win at all costs. I think Novak was also triggered by the relationship with the fans. I think that deep focus may have turned some people off.
“I think he’s been a little misunderstood. I look past the media and see the man he is at the end. If I take away his game, who is he? What are his values? I know he cares about his family very much.”
The new Federer documentary will be released on Monday, fourteen days after the start of Wimbledon.
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