‘I am Who I am Because of Federer’- Djokovic

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are arguably two of the best players to play in their era. They have pushed each other beyond their limits and more often than not their matches have been a real treat to watch, for the neutrals. Novak Djokovic stated in a recent interview at the Laver Cup, that he was who he was today because of Federer.

“So many people around the world and me of course I believe that I am the player that I am today because of him, we played some thrilling matches over the last decade”, said Djokovic at the inaugural function of the Laver Cup. “Please give a big wave to Roger Federer.”

With the kind of rivalry that they have, Djokovic was asked if he found it difficult to play with some of his competitors at the Laver Cup. “I thought, as I said on the stage, I thought this event was very unique in many ways. And obviously it’s my debut this year, but I was watching it on the TV last year and it was very exciting to see a new concept”, said the US open champion.

Nole also said that the team spirit is often missing from the sport, because unlike most of the sports tennis is more often than not a one-man show.  “To see, you know, many of the guys that shared rivalries throughout their careers, like Roger and Rafa, for example, playing on the same side of the courts, supporting each other. It’s a great team spirit.”

Djokovic also went on to add, “That’s something that we are missing a little bit because we play mostly for ourselves and our team, but, you know, it’s mostly individual tournaments. You know, aside of this, Davis Cup is the only team competition that really, so to say, counts historically.”

“It’s great to see a concept like this in this format working well, and I obviously wanted to be a part of this and have this great experience”, Nole added.