Russian Tennis Legend’s Brashy Swipe at a 21-Year-Old Novak Djokovic After a Brutal Thrashing On Court – ‘Scored Some Points’

Novak Djokovic equaled the record of one of his arch-rivals, Roger Federer, when he won his sixth ATP Finals title. Being a tough competitor, he never likes losing, even during the nascent stages of his career. At the 2005 Australian Open, when he was an up-and-coming player with immense potential, he defeated Marat Safin in the first round. In a peculiar turn of events, he apologized for defeating the Russian player. However, when he fell prey to the Russian star a few years later, the Serb wasn’t humble like he was the first time around, as he made a snarky comment.

Afterward, when Safin defeated Djokovic at the 2008 Wimbledon, the Russian star took a subtle dig at Djokovic for his statements.

Marat Safin once took a dig at Novak Djokovic

Former world no.1 Marat Safin faced the young Serbian player, Novak Djokovic, at the 2005 Australian Open. After defeating Safin, Djokovic apologized to the Russian player. In an interview, Safin said, “I mean, he came and said, “Sorry” don’t know why he said sorry, because he apparently — because it was so easy.”

Safin felt that Djokovic had given his best to defeat him, and there was no need to apologize. However, like many others at the time, he wasn’t sure if the Serb meant it as a jibe at the veteran.

Furthermore, he also complimented Djokovic and said, “played pretty good and just told him that he gonna be great player- and he will be.” Safin also said, “He is gonna have a very long career. Just wish him all the best. That’s what I said to him.”

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Then in 2008, at Wimbledon, Safin went on to defeat Djokovic in straight sets of 6-4 7-6 6-2. Djokovic attributed the loss to him not playing well rather than Safin being better than him. This prompted the Russian player to reply in king as he took a dig at the Serbian youngster.

He said, “Yeah, well, he’s a nice guy, a great answerer, and great for you guys. I think he scored some points over there by saying that.”

Djokovic’s performance in 2022

The Serbian player started off his season pretty late. It was because of his vaccination status. This barred him from being a part of the Australian Open. However, he made a comeback during the clay-court season. Moving on, he went on to win Wimbledon and seems to have found his lost touch, as he stamped his authority in different Masters tournaments before participating in the year-end ATP Finals.

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Despite having a rough year, he performed exceedingly well. He clinched the year-end ATP Finals title in Turin without losing a match. With this victory, he equaled Federer’s record of six year-end titles.

Can Djokovic continue his impressive form in 2023 and equal Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam tally? Let us know.