Novak Djokovic claims he ‘doesn’t mind’ playing newer players at all when compared to competing against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, or Andy Murray in almost every final a few years back
Novak Djokovic talked about his rivalry with Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in the past and feels that he will be up there challenging the new young guns as well for some time.
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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer. (credits: Sports Illustrated, NDTV News)
After winning the US Open title from the grasp of Daniil Medvedev in the final, Novak Djokovic has now amassed a record 24 Grand Slam titles. After having battled it out with players younger than him throughout the entire tournament, he gave a statement at the post-match press conference. He brought back his previous memories of playing against Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in possibly every Grand Slam final.
However, now that every single former star is out of the sport, he is left alone to match the brilliance of these youngsters, and he has made it clear that he loves playing against them. He also feels that there is no possible rivalry in tennis at the moment, despite rating his three matches against Carlos Alcaraz as the top ones for the year.
Novak said, “It’s different bc the rivalries I had with these guys were so strong & solid. It was very high probability that I’d face either Roger, Rafa, or Andy in the finals of a Slam for most of those years when we were facing each other at the highest levels.”
Continuing his train of thought, he further added, “Nowadays, that’s different. I don’t mind. I did play 3 epic matches with Alcaraz this year & I think that’s why there’s a discussion on the next rivalry. I said all I needed to say in a positive way about Carlos. I really do mean it. I think it’s great for our sport that we have another very good rivalry. I know he also has a great rivalry with Sinner.
He concluded, “You have Rune. Of course, the generation of Zverev, Tsitsipas, Medvedev.. these guys that are still top 5 & 10 in the world.. tennis is still in a good place.”
Where does Novak Djokovic go from here?
Novak Djokovic has already broken a lot of records in the past few years, and since the fallout of his rivals such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, there has simply been no other tennis star to cross him in a long time. He has now matched the record for the most Grand Slam titles for a singles player, irrespective of the men’s and women’s segments.
He has equaled the record with another legend of the game, Margaret Court, who has held the record for over three decades now. Both stars are now matched with each other on 24 Grand Slams, and there is no doubt that the Serbian will be adamant about crossing that mark and building on a new record. Longevity and consistency have been the keys for Novak, and it will take something out of the box for the new generation of stars to stop him.
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Soumyadeep Mondal
(882 Articles Published)