Novak Djokovic is one player who has been on the side of controversy for most of his career. Few have favored him when he is competing against the big ones. His matches against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal mostly saw fans siding with them. However, his wins against them over and over again tipped many to his side. Recently, he recalled some of his wins which entered his name into the GOAT debate.

Novak Djokovic is someone who turned everything upside-down when he turned professional. His game surpassed many, even the two best players at that time. So far, he has won 22 grand slams, cementing his legacy.

Novak Djokovic recalls his greatest wins

In a recent interview during his recovery, Djokovic recalled some of his best matches. He also talked about how he dealt with negative thoughts throughout his career. When asked about how he works around bad thoughts, Djokovic stated that he welcomes them instead of ignoring them. “Negative thoughts should not be rejected, but welcomed and let go.”

He remembered an instance where he had to use this strategy. The Wimbledon final against Federer was one of his most intense matches. With Federer’s name chanted constantly, the Swiss maestro received a boost as he lost two championship points.

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Therefore, Djokovic could either give up or turn the thoughts in his mind. He chose to go for the latter. “And in the end I said that the audience screamed Roger-Roger and inside me the cry became Novak-Novak. The final one was one of two games in life.“

Djokovic reflects on his match against Rafael Nadal

Djoker also recalled the match he had against Nadal in the 2012 Australian Open. The match lasted 5 hours and 53 minutes, with the audience rooting for Nadal. But he made the best of the situation and triumphed against his rival. He used the word of an athlete from another sport to keep himself motivated.

“The 2012 final in Australia with Nadal: a physical battle, which lasted almost six hours. In most tournaments, when I played against Federer and Nadal, the audience was against me. I said to myself: you have to develop the strength inside your head, otherwise you never win. But it’s not an easy thing to turn contrary cheering into energy. It’s not that it always works. As Michael Jordan said: I failed, I failed, I failed; and I won.”

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After all of his effort, Djokovic has affirmatively added to the GOAT debate. Who do you support? Let us know in the comments below.