After Novak Djokovic’s brutal defeat at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz on the Grass courts of Wimbledon, everyone thought that this was it for the Serbian ace. While the world started making premature assumptions about his career, moving toward an end, Djokovic had his eyes set somewhere else. At the Paris Olympics gold! A medal that had him waiting for over a decade is now shining around his neck. The tennis world has come together to congratulate the World No.2. However, one name was missing from his coveted rival list: Roger Federer.

Following the win, rivals and legends alike didn’t take a lot of time to send their wishes to Djokovic. His R2 opponent and another Big 3, Rafael Nadal, said, “Congrats Novak on completing the Golden Slam and being able to achieve what you wanted. Well Done!” While his final opponent, who had him running since last year’s Wimbledon loss, Alcaraz too wasn’t behind in wishing him. He said, “I leave with an incredible silver medal ❤️ and with my head held high after a tremendous battle today! Congratulations @DjokerNole for that gold that you have sought so much 🤝🏻.”

Beautiful indeed, how after fighting with ferocious intensity on the tennis court, the rivals come together to celebrate the feat. More names were added to the list in the form of Martina Navratilova, Juan Martín del Potro, Matthew McConaughey, and Holger Rune, among others. Tennis fans were eagerly searching for one name. The last pillar of the Big 3 Federer was missing from the list. How come the 20-time Grand Slam champion has kept mum on such a feat that has the world wanting more of Djokovic for once?

How much does the Olympic gold medal mean to the Serb? Maybe more than we can imagine even after looking at Djokovic’s teary-eyed celebration, which had him shaking on the court, and dancing with the Serbian flag wrapped around him, and medal around his neck. He wept as he hugged his family after the win. Words certainly fall short of appropriately describing the moment that had every tennis enthusiast rushing for a tissue to wipe their damp lashes. The Serbian ace who has always been on the receiving end finally had them on his side.

But this time, Federer was missing from the list. Why? Nobody knows but Federer discounting the Serbian Ace for short as his rival earlier might give some inkling of something being lost between the two greats. Earlier he had admitted to not giving Djokovic the respect he deserves, but what now?

Roger Federer discounts Novak Djokovic for shirt as he considers Nadal his biggest rival

Djokovic is the last Big 3 standing on the tennis court and is successfully taking up the challenges of the younger generation. Federer is already out, and Nadal is about to announce his retirement sooner than later. Moreover, Djokovic and Nadal are the only 2 of the Big 3 who have completed the golden slam. Moreover, the Serbian has also retained his ranking as the World No.2, as the youngsters make significant gains. With 24 Grand Slam titles under his belt, and now the shining gold, Djokovic has everything that a tennis GOAT can think of. But despite all of this, he is not Federer’s biggest adversary, as that title is with Nadal.

Federer had said, “It was just about, I needed to perform at my best to beat him. It was much more straightforward thinking. Then he reached his absolute peak. He was really hard to play because he was everywhere. He was long, he was tall, he was quick, and he had it all. So it was more of a mental challenge.”

Despite the straightforward thinking strategy and the rivalry they shared, Federer’s absence from the list of tennis legends congratulating the GOAT has been felt by the tennis world. As they now look at the Swiss Maestro to clear the air about the same.