The highly anticipated docu-film on the last days of Roger Federer’s life as a tennis player will be released on Prime Video in a week. The British newspaper TheTelegraph anticipated some extracts from the film, in particular a passage in which the Swiss focuses on one of his major rivals, Novak Djokovic. The Serbian arrived in the world of racket shortly after the rivalry between Roger and Rafa began, and according to the Swiss, this role of third wheel or almost “killjoy” cost him a lot of acrimony from the public. Federer also reflects on “Nole’s” early days on the tour, going so far as to say that at the time he didn’t believe in him that much, only to have to change his mind given the incredible improvements the Serbian experienced.
“The first time we played each other was in Monaco in 2006 and I remember walking off the court thinking he was playing well, but I wasn’t entirely convinced of his tennis. I saw some important technical flaws in him, such as a forehand grip that was too tight and a backhand that was much less fluid than now” says Federer. “Thinking back to those moments, I think I didn’t give him the credit he deserved and he proved it by improving a lot in a short timeshortly thereafter becoming an incredible tennis player, simply monstrous.”
Roger’s opinion on the animosity suffered by Djokovic in his career from many fans is therefore interesting. “My rivalry with Rafa was spectacular and we got along very well. When Novak arrived, I think a lot of people thought tennis didn’t need a third wheel. He came in with his very strong personality and that boundless ambition that motivated him so much, and I think that made a lot of fans defensive towards him.. In the end I think people didn’t understand Novak Djokovic’s personality well. When I got to know him off the pitch, ignoring what the media or fans say, I could see that he is a man who cares a lot about his family and has good values” concludes the Swiss.
Certainly the relationship between Djokovic and the fans has always been one of the most debated topics. Novak’s very strong personality is divisive, love him or hate him. Great efforts to get closer to the public, frequent moments of fury and controversies on the pitch that leave spectators perplexed. There will be time at the end of his career to analyze the issue in depth. Whichever way you look at the situation, Djokovic is a very complex character.
Marco Mazzoni
