“Federer Had a Tough Time To Accept”: Roger Federer’s Biographer Spills Beans on His Relations With Novak Djokovic

In the men’s game, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have arguably been two of the greatest players ever. They have competed in some of the most thrilling matches on the Tour and share a fierce rivalry. 

Recently, renowned journalist Christopher Clarey spoke about the time when Novak appeared as a credible threat to Federer’s dominance on the ATP tour. Clarey is the author of Federer’s biography, The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer. 

According to him, the surroundings that the Serb grew up in were far different from the one Roger grew up in or for that matter, even Nadal. These differences help explain the difference in attitudes that Rafael and Roger posses as compared to Djokovic. 

“Rafa-Roger came from comfortable childhoods; they had choices. Djokovic came from a war-torn country. Unlike Rafa-Roger, he had no choices. He just wanted- and needed- to succeed…

— Kayezad E Adajania (@kayezad) December 6, 2021

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have shared an intense rivalry 

Over the years, Federer and Djokovic have faced each other 50 times. It is the World No. 1 player from Serbia who leads the tie with 27 wins as compared to Roger’s 23 wins. 

Clarey recently talked about how Nadal and Nole emerged on the ATP tour, in that order, to challenge Federer’s dominance. He mentioned that the Swiss had a tough time accepting the Serb’s rapid rise. 

…@RafaelNadal was Roger’s first major challenger. By the time Roger made peace, Djokovic came along. Fed had a tough time to accept.

Rafa was deferential, Djokovic did impressions; perhaps Federer didn’t much appreciate,” @christophclarey @moneycontrolcom

— Kayezad E Adajania (@kayezad) December 6, 2021

Coming to this season, Djokovic began the season brilliantly, winning the first three Grand Slam titles. During the season, he overtook Federer’s record of holding the top spot in rankings for the most number of weeks. 

PARIS, FRANCE May 23. Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Roger Federer of Switzerland great each other as they cross over training sessions on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the 2019 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on May 23rd 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

On the other hand, Federer ended his season after the Wimbledon loss. After that, he released a clip indicating that he would require another knee surgery and would be out of action for many months. We wish him all the best in his recovery for the 2022 season. 

Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club

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