Novak Djokovic will break Roger Federer's Slam record, feels Fabio Fognini
Fabio Fognini, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on 24 May, believes that his 'good friend' Novak Djokovic is likely to surpass Roger Federer's record tally of 20 Grand Slam titles.
Fognini was speaking in an interview with La Gazetta dello Sport, and he touched upon a range of topics - including how he is spending his time with family during the coronavirus-enforced lockdown.
It was a freewheeling discussion where the Italian brought out his patented forthright style, and he couldn't resist making some bold predictions about Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic has the most hunger, but Roger Federer is the most beautiful to watch: Fognini
The 2019 Monte Carlo Masters winner said that Novak Djokovic, who currently has 17 Slams, will eventually be able to 'overcome' Roger Federer's high-water mark. Fognini added that Djokovic has more ambition than either Federer or Rafael Nadal, the two other members of tennis' vaunted 'Big 3'.
"I believe he will be able to overcome Roger Federer's (record of) 20 Grand Slam titles. Among the Big 3 he is the one who can overcome most of all, for the head, the body, the hunger he has."
Fabio Fognini has known Novak Djokovic since the age of 14, and the Italian was convinced right from the beginning that the Serb's 'iron character' would take him places.
"We speak often," Fognini said. "Djokovic and I have known each other since we were 14, and it was already clear that he would do great things. He already had an iron character. "
The Italian did, however, add that when it came to aesthetics, there is no player better to watch than a certain Roger Federer.
"But if you ask me who is the most beautiful to watch playing, I have to say Federer."
What else did Fabio Fognini say about Novak Djokovic?
Fabio Fognini further said that he recently had a 'good' talk with Djokovic, where the World No. 1 gave him tips about meditation.
"I had a good chat with Nole. I also asked him about meditation, maybe it might come in handy (for me)."
Novak Djokovic has, by his own admission, been practising meditation for the last 10 years. During a previous interaction between the two on Instagram, Djokovic had talked about how meditation has helped him immensely - both on and off the court:
"We are always alone on the court , so I think it (meditation) is a fundamental thing to do," Novak Djokovic had said. "I have been doing it for 10 years now, and it has obviously helped me a lot on the court but also outside of it, for normal life. We are surrounded by a lot of noise, and meditation is really important in my opinion as it helps to meet, to be present, to have a reset, as a person, as a tennis player, as an athlete."
Fabio Fognini also said that he had received an invitation from Novak Djokovic to join the Serb's Balkan tournament. The charity competition is set to begin in Belgrade on June 13-14, before moving to Zadar (June 20-21), Montenegro (June 27-28) and Banja Luka (July 3-4).
But the Italian revealed that he was forced to decline the invitation owing to health and safety concerns during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"Nole asked me for some advice on organisation of the Balkan tournament. He invited me (for it), but I don't think I can go there (now due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Safety first," Fognini said.