Novak Djokovic is one of tennis’s biggest sensations, but apparently, he doesn’t feel like that at all. He has been perceived as an outsider in the sport’s elite circle for a long time, and he recently addressed it with a heartbreaking message. Despite his extraordinary achievements, including 24 Grand Slam titles and a dominant presence in the “Big Three” alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he shared the emotional toll of being seen as an “outsider.”
He said, “I acted and still felt like an unwanted child. I asked myself why that was. It hurt me. Then I thought the fans would accept me if I acted differently. But that wasn’t the case either. I was never as loved as Federer and Nadal because I wasn’t supposed to be there. I was the little guy, the third guy who came along and said, ‘I’m going to be number one.’ Many people didn’t like that.”
Novak Djokovic Shares He Never Wished Them Harm
Despite the intense rivalry between Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, he said that he never hated them or wished them harm.
He shared, “Just because someone is my biggest rival doesn’t mean I wish them harm, hate them, or want to do anything else on the court to defeat them. We fought for the win, and the better player won. I’ve always respected both Federer and Nadal; I’ve never said a single bad word about them and never will. I looked up to them and still do. But I’ve always gotten along better with Nadal.”
“We always say that through these rivalries, the three of us contributed to developing into the tennis players and people and competitors that we have become. I say without a doubt, the rivalry with those two had the most influence on my development, especially in the second part of my career,” he added
“Not Everyone Welcomed…” Says Novak Djokovic
Coming from Serbia, a non-Western country, he openly declared his ambition to be the world number 1. He shared his pain regarding that and said, “The two of them had already developed a rivalry before I came along because Nadal broke through a few years before me. They come from Switzerland, from Spain, so Western powers… There are these orientations, and there are affiliations. I never achieved the same level of adoration as Federer and Nadal because, in a way, I wasn’t supposed to disrupt their narrative. I was the third man who boldly declared, ‘I’m going to be number one.’ Not everyone welcomed that,”
Regardless, Novak Djokovic’s story is a true example of the relentless pursuit of being the best. His journey not only reflects his personal achievements but also the struggles he went through as an outsider. Yet, it is precisely this outsider status that has shaped him into the dominant and formidable force in tennis he is today.
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