"If someone had said 10 years ago that Novak Djokovic & Rafael Nadal would surpass Roger Federer, they would not have believed it" - Goran Ivanisevic
Novak Djokovic is currently one Grand Slam title ahead of Roger Federer and one short of Rafael Nadal's record of 22 Majors. But the last few years have witnessed a sharp turnaround, particularly since the Serb made significant changes to his game in 2011.
Djokovic has dominated the last decade, to say the least. By the end of 2010, while Federer and Nadal had 16 and nine Grand Slam titles respectively, Djokovic had only one. Since then, the Serb has won 20 Majors while Nadal (13) and Federer (4) could collectively rack up only 17.
Speaking to the press recently, former Croatian player and Djokovic's current coach Goran Ivanisevic revealed how he once predicted that Federer would be overtaken by the other two members of the Big 3 in the Slam race.
"If someone had said 10 years ago that both of them would surpass Federer, they would not have believed it," Ivanisevic said. "Even before I was on the team, I said that both Novak and Nadal would have more Grand Slam titles than Roger, and now it is coming true."
Ivanisevic went on to claim that while the future is uncertain, Djokovic being denied entry into the US due to his unvaccinated status could make a difference.
"It's hard to say how much he [Djokovic] will have in the end," the Croat said. "They're denying him the US Open now."
While Ivanisevic is happy about Australia relaxing its COVID-19 travel restrictions, he is also aware that the authorities will have to terminate the three-year ban that Djokovic received after his deportation in January.
"Australia is good news that mandatory vaccinations have been waived, but the government has to forgive him the three-year sentence," Ivanisevic added. "That might be okay. If they're healthy, I don't know where they'll end up."
Novak Djokovic to join Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at Laver Cup
Novak Djokovic recently announced his participation in the 2022 Laver Cup. The 35-year-old will represent Team Europe alongside Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
This will be the first and probably the only time that the four players will be seen competing together. The event is scheduled to be held at the O2 Arena in London from September 23-25.
Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic will play the Laver Cup!
With Nole's participation, Team Europe should change its name to "The Avengers":
🔵 Roger Federer
🔵 Rafael Nadal
🔵 Novak Djokovic
🔵 Andy Murray https://t.co/bGH4oaHgAO
In a press release, the World No. 7 expressed his excitement and termed the upcoming event "a truly unique moment."
"I'm really excited to be joining Team Europe again for the Laver Cup at London’s O2 arena in September. It’s the only competition where you can play in a team environment with guys that you’re normally competing against and to be joining Rafa, Roger and Andy – three of my biggest all-time rivals – it’s going to be a truly unique moment in the history of our sport," Djokovic said.