What can be more satisfying than wooing your fiercest rival and making him worry about you? For Novak Djokovic, this stands as one of the highest accolades. Not only has he captured the hearts of the tennis community with his unparalleled skills, but he has also won over one of his biggest rivals and a legend of the sport, Roger Federer. Swiss Maestro engaged in an exclusive interview with ESPN and deliberated on a wide range of topics. This included the recovery that Djokovic has come through and his third-round clash at Wimbledon. Speaking in the interview, Federer was seen in all-out praises for Nole.

Talking about the quick recovery that Djokovic witnessed, Federer said, “Novak is amazing that he’s bounced back. Incredible effort for him after the surgery, after Paris, to come back and be playing.” The Serbian tennis star underwent surgery in early June after he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee during his fourth-round clash against Francisco Cerundolo at Roland Garros. While many including the doctors predicted that it would be difficult for him to return to the courts anytime soon, Djokovic defied the odds to not just play Wimbledon, but also win the first two matches. Continuing further, Federer expressed his desire to watch him play in the third round.

“I don’t know how he is feeling but, (it will) be very interesting how he bounces back after his three-hour match yesterday.” While Novak Djokovic was not at his best on Thursday at Wimbledon, he found a way to reach the third round after three hours of grueling play as he defeated the resilient British wild card Jacob Fearnley to earn a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win. Federer’s statement not only highlights his admiration for Djokovic but also reflects that he is unbothered about the possibility of losing his record.

The former tennis player has won 8 grand slams on the green surface. While no player has reached the feat so far, Djokovic is the closest towards equating him with 7 wins under his name. Nole can soon equate the Swiss Maestro’s record if he manages to win the title after the surgery-induced comeback. Federer’s remark is also interesting because of the early rivalry he shared with Djokovic.

Accepting the lack of respect he had for Nole, Federer had earlier admitted that he did not acknowledge his skills. “I think I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical flaws. I felt like Novak had a very extreme forehand grip and his backhand for me wasn’t as fluid as it is nowadays.” Meanwhile, the tennis legend hopes that Djokovic will break all records in tennis history.

‘Novak can go on and..’ When Federer acknowledged Djokovic’s resilience

Novak Djokovic has already shattered many of Roger Federer’s records, and the Swiss Maestro says he hopes the Serb breaks every record in the books. Speaking in an interaction with Trevor Noah, Federer spoke highly of one of his fiercest rivals. Roger said, “Hopefully, Novak can go on and crush every record.” He further spoke similarly for Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal and wished them to achieve as much as possible. 

Novak Djokovic has a men’s record 24 Grand Slam singles titles. He is now eyeing his 25th at Wimbledon despite undergoing meniscus surgery less than a month ago. He has surpassed both Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (22) in that category. 

As the tournament progresses, the Serb is now set to play Alexei Popyrin in the third round. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his winning momentum or if his recent recovery will pose some challenges in front of him.