Novak Djokovic has made the candid admission that his great rival Roger Federer “didn’t like” the way he was behaving at the beginning of his career.
The Serbian claimed the way he conducted himself “didn’t sit well” with the Swiss and declared he “wasn’t the favourite type of guy to some of the top guys” because of his confidence.
Djokovic and Federer shared one of the greatest ever tennis rivalries, with the Serbian winning 27 of their 50 matches between 2006 and 2020 before the Swiss retired in 2022.
The relationship between the pair seemed to be strained during their time on tour, particularly in the years following Djokovic’s emergence.
During a Davis Cup tie in 2006 where Djokovic beat Stan Wawrinka on the opening day, Federer said: “I don’t trust his (Djokovic’s) injuries. I’m serious. I think he’s a joke, you know, when it comes down to his injuries.”
Following his third round win over Tomas Martin Etcheverry at the 2024 Australian Open, Djokovic was asked if any older players were critical of how he behaved in his early years in the professional game.
“That’s a good question. I mean, I know certainly Federer didn’t like the way I was behaving at the beginning. I think it didn’t sit with him well. I don’t know about the others,” the 36-year-old said.
“I guess I wasn’t the favourite type of guy to some of the top guys because I was not afraid to say that I want to be the best player in the world. I was kind of – not kind of – I was confident, and I felt like I have the game to back it up.
“I never, ever lacked respect. Whenever I start a match, before the match or finish the match, I would always greet the opponent, always acknowledge. Respect is something that I was taught that needs to be present regardless of what is happening.
“Obviously on the court a lot of things can happen in a kind of heat of a battle. It was very long time ago now, 20 years since I made my first debut I think on the professional tour. It’s really hard to say who liked me more or less. I think I named one, so I don’t know. I can’t recall others.”
The world No 1 then explained that the opinions of players who were not a fan of his behaviour only added to his motivation and belief in himself.
“It was fuelling me even more. I mean, if I made a mistake, I would admit it and, of course, say I make a mistake, I raise my hand, I apologise or whatever. But if the criticism came with no particular reason I think, then I would just keep going the kind of direction that I chose, and that’s it,” he continued.
“I knew and I know today that you can’t have everyone liking you, who you are, how you play, how you behave, what you talk about. It’s normal. We’re all different. We are all different preferences.”
In an interview with Jon Wertheim for 60 minutes last month, Djokovic addressed his relationship with Federer and Rafael Nadal and revealed he hopes this changes after his career.
“The greatest of respect is always there, at least from my side. I would really like to [become friendlier]. Personally, I would like to,” Djokovic said.
“I mean, I know that obviously (laughs) we didn’t get along so well throughout our careers in, like, off court.
“And we are not friends because, you know, we’re rivals and it’s difficult as competitors to be very close and kind of share and give insights to you know, to your life or to how you feel because, you know, it could be used against you.”