Novak Djokovic: I was like an unwanted child in the trio

Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic, 38, has poured his heart out in a recent Failures of Champions interview with Slaven Bilic. And his fans will be very touched by some of his statements. Despite winning a record 24 Grand Slam titles, more than Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (22), and a better head-to-head record, the Serbian has said that he was never admired as much as the Swiss star or the Spanish champ. 

“The two of them [Federer and Nadal] 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 No. 1.’ Not everyone welcomed that,” said former World No. 1 Djokovic. “I felt like the unwanted child in the trio. I often questioned why that was the case, and it was painful. I thought changing my demeanour might win them over, but that proved ineffective too,” added the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medallist.