In an interview in ‘The Times’, Novak Djokovic reviewed his successful career and, among other topics such as the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz, the Serbian spoke about Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
In fact, he has focused more on what it meant for him to grow up in tennis in the shadow of the Spaniard and the Swiss rackets than on how he ended up surpassing them in the number of Grand Slams.
“There was no room for three,” comments ‘Nole’, aware that a fight between three was rare.
“In all the most famous sports rivalries it is always two people, not three. In football it is Ronaldo or Messi. So I understand that that is probably one of the reasons why I was left out,” he explains.
Furthermore, Djokovic believes that his attitude hindered him: “I wasn’t afraid to say that I wanted to beat these guys, to be number one. I said it when I was a teenager and I think a lot of people didn’t like it, including them, so They immediately kept me out and judged me a lot.
“It was also because of my attitude, of saying I’m better than them, that I will be the best. I knew that someone with this type of mentality would be polarizing. One group of people will say, ‘I like their confidence,’ but others will think, ‘look to this arrogant idiot,'” he reflects.
He wanted to win over his rivals’ audiences, but he reached a point where he realized that there are things that are beyond your capabilities.
“Do I want to be liked? I think at the beginning of my career I really tried to be a little more connected to people, particularly in places where they liked Federer and Nadal more, or Andy Murray. But I also understood that there are several factors why I won’t get any more support than them. So I asked myself: do I keep trying to win over people or do I accept it and move on? Be my authentic self, whether they like it or not?” he added.
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2024-01-16 09:53:00
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