'Federer should play for five years, so that Novak can beat him,' said Srdjan Djokovic

Novak Djokovic's father Srdjan is not known as the most realistic parent in the tennis world, praising his son while constantly downgrading Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

In a recent interview with the Serbian TV station, Srdjan said that Novak's US Open dafault wasn't fair, as Federer and Nadal did similar things in the past without getting punished. The older Djokovic confirmed that his son would compete at the Serbia Open in April, saying that Dominic Thiem respects Novak a lot, and that's why he decided to come to Serbia.

Unable to skip Federer, Srdjan revealed that he wants to see the Swiss in action for five or six years more so that Novak can beat him many times and improve an already positive head-to-head record against the 20-time Major winner.

"I disapprove of what happed in New York; Novak hit that woman by accident. That happened to Federer, Nadal and others before, and no one was defaulted except Novak. They don't have respect towards the world's leading player, quite the opposite. Novak will compete in Belgrade with the biggest pride; it's a family event in his town and country.

Dominic Thiem will also play; it's still a small tournament, but he respects Novak and wants to compete in Serbia. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are the greatest players in history; they have pushed each other to achieve more. We should look at them from that angle; they can't be friends while chasing big titles and the ATP throne. I would love to see Federer playing for five or six more years so that Novak can improve the head-to-head score with him even more," Srdjan Djokovic said.