Novak Djokovic Made me a Better Player: Roger Federer

Earlier today, in an interview, Roger Federer was all praises for his rival Novak Djokovic. Ahead of the Australian Open draw, Federer was talking about all his rivals over the years. Right from Sampras to Agassi to Hewitt and finally to Nadal and Djokovic. However, over the last few years, Djokovic has stood out among the lot.

According to Federer, Djokovic challenged him a fair number of times while still in his prime. Federer said, “He was virtually unbeatable when he was hitting sliding backhand passing shots. For me it was important not to get frustrated by it, it was maybe just a moment in time. I’ve always enjoyed my matches with Novak, even at the very beginning when he was coming up. We’re both natural attacking players and because of that we have very aggressive points.”

He continued, “No doubt he is one of those players next to Nadal, Hewitt and others that really made me rethink my game sometimes. It is great to see him back and playing so strong”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTSsykHGc84&t=3s

With regard to the draws, Federer’s opening match will be against Denis Istomin. In the third round, he could meet Frenchman Gael Monfils. Also, if calculations are correct, he could face Andy Murray or Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals, Rafael Nadal in the semifinal and possibly Novak Djokovic in the final.

Both Roger Federer and Djokovic have six Australian Open titles, tied with Roy Emerson for the most Australian Open titles. So they could break the record if they get through their respective brackets.

Several records could fall in this year’s Open, but it’s a new year. The new guard is still creeping, and they do not want Federer, Nadal and Djokovic to win every major against this year. So the question is, will Federer claim the Australian Open or will that honour go to Novak Djokovic?