They made me hungrier to win: Djokovic tips hat to Federer, Nadal

Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has highlighted how Switzerland’s Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal helped him in his development. The 37-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles.

Over the years, Djokovic’s closest rivals have been Federer and Nadal. They were called the ‘Big Three’ and dominated two decades in men’s tennis in the singles category. Federer, who retired from the sport in September 2020 because of fitness concerns, finished his career with 20 Grand Slam titles. On the other hand, Nadal has announced that he will retire from professional tennis after the upcoming Davis Cup. He will finish his career with 22 major titles to his name.

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Djokovic, in a recent interview with La Nacion, opened up about the rivalry between Federer and Nadal. The former world number one highlighted that three years of struggle against the two players between his first and second Grand Slam played a key role in his development.

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"It took me three years to win my second Grand Slam and I was No. 3 in the world for those three years,” he said. “I was also No. 2 in 2009 and I was playing at a very high level, but I couldn't get to win Grand Slams because of those two. They dominated everything. I didn't have the formula to beat them. I was able to win one or two matches against them, but not the important ones. Those three years were crucial for my development. They made me hungrier to win, especially against them. I knew that if I could find a way to be like those guys in the big matches, and I knew a lot of that came from here (mind), I could somehow figure out the Grand Slams and start winning more. And that's what happened."