"Rafael Nadal was a hard worker and Roger Federer was pure talent, but Novak Djokovic had everything" - Andreea Prisacariu
Romanian tennis player Andreea Prisacariu recently stated that Novak Djokovic possesses the abilities of both his rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Prisacariu is the World No. 322 in singles and World No. 394 in doubles. She has won five singles titles and eight doubles titles on the ITF circuit to date.
During a recent episode of the Novak Weekly Podcast, Prisacariu revealed that she has been following Djokovic since her childhood. She also said the Serb has the elegance of Federer as well as the hard-working nature of Nadal.
"It was always him [Djokovic] since I was a little child and it was also him when he was No. 3 in the world you know, after the big guys in that time. Only because he was having the elegance of Federer and hard work of Nadal combined. So I think he had both sides. Because Nadal was a hard worker and Federer was pure talent, but Novak had everything," she said.
The 23-year-old added that she became a fan of the World No. 1 because she could relate to his attitude and mannerisms.
"I also saw myself in that as a person because I never could be just one thing. So, when I saw another human being who’s successful and free in the way he speaks and the way he does things… I said 'Ok, this could be my role model for sure'," Prisacariu said.
The Romanian said she came out of the tough moments in her personal and professional life by learning from the Serb.
"You know, in my imagination, when times were tough on court or even in real life, I was listening to him, the way he was speaking in interviews or the way he was playing. Because I wanted to be on the right path also mentally and also in my tennis life," she added.
"I saw it in Novak Djokovic's eyes that he was ready to risk everything to be the best" - Andreea Prisacariu
Andreea Prisacariu also recalled that it was after Novak Djokovic's loss against Roger Federer in a final that she started believing that the Belgrade native would go on to break records in tennis.
"He lost a final against Federer, I can not remember the year but it was super heartbreaking to see him cry and the way he was tearing up oh my god. But you know in that moment I was like he will come back from this and he will beat all records," she stated.
Prisacariu added that in that particular moment, she sensed that Djokovic was willing to put everything on the line to be the best tennis player.
"It’s the answer what he'll realize in the whole sport and that day for me in my head changed everything. I saw it in his eyes that he was ready to risk everything to be the best. He did that and look where he is now… 24 [Grand Slam titles] and still counting," she added.
The Serb recently helped his national team advance to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup Final, where they will face Great Britain.