"Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal pushed me to be a better player" - Novak Djokovic after breaking No. 1 record
Novak Djokovic broke Roger Federer's record of most weeks spent as World No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, thereby marking an important date in tennis history. The Serb spoke to NDTV after his record was made official, where he discussed the influence of Federer and Nadal on his career.
20-time Major champion Roger Federer had held the No. 1 ranking for 310 weeks, and it took a whole decade for the mark to be eclipsed. Now that Djokovic has achieved the elusive feat, he has also solidified his claim to the 'GOAT' title.
That said, Novak Djokovic is well aware of the fact that it was his arch-rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who kept pushing him to fight harder. The Serb even called the duo 'special' as he recalled how tough it was to compete against them in his youth.
"Those two guys, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, are the ones who pushed me to be a better player," Novak Djokovic replied when asked which of the two was his bigger rival. "Both of these guys have been so special in my career. Hard to pick one of them. Because I have always had to compete against both of them as they were so dominant and consistent."
Novak Djokovic had spent the early half of his career largely under the shadow of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who won 21 of the 24 Grand Slams between them from 2005-2010. The Serb was finally able to break the wheel in 2011 when he romped to win three Major titles and five Masters 1000 tournaments in the space of a single season.
I dreamt of this when I was a kid: Novak Djokovic on his record of 311 weeks as World No. 1
Novak Djokovic spoke in detail about his achievement of spending 311 weeks at the top ranking of a sport that has so many greats. Djokovic, who has been the numero uno for a year now, mentioned that he had always dreamt of being the World No. 1 as a kid.
"This achievement (to stand by tennis greats) is something that I dreamt of when I was a kid starting to play tennis. It's a tribute to the love and commitment to the sport," Djokovic said.
During the interview, Novak Djokovic also shed light on his childhood years in war-torn Serbia. The World No. 1 revealed that while growing up in Serbia was a 'challenge', it also motivated him to put his country on the world map.
"I think we all go through different hardships in our lives," Djokovic said. "My journey was not easy, but it made me stronger. We had two different wars in 1990s. Growing up in a war-torn country was a challenge. It definitely made me more hungry to represent my country - to send a message of peace and love and passion and joy."