Novak Djokovic father makes damning accusations on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Just months after he talked about Western media's unfair and harsh portrayal of his son and questioned the ATP's transparency for its awards, Novak Djokovic's father, Srdjan Djokovic has taken a cheeky dig at rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Novak Djokovic Grand Slams tally has soared to a brilliant 18 titles after the 2021 Australian Open, putting the World No. 1 within reach of his rivals' 20 each. However, behind all this, the first few months of 2021 have continued to be a PR nightmare for the Serbian, who was accused of being privileged and tone-deaf after he demanded better living conditions for junior players at the Slam.

Novak Djokovic father slams Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Speaking to Sputnik News, Novak Djokovic father maintained that the lack of love from the press doesn't faze his son, saying, “It doesn’t bother him at all. That Serbian stubbornness is well-known... He wants to show that tennis is not just a tennis game, but that tennis is life. That life is for those few thousand fantastic young players he is fighting for”. Alluding to Djokovic's much-vilified attempts to help lower-level players get better compensation on the tour, Djokovic Sr added that his son's efforts for the cause would have been much more successful if he had received support from Federer and Nadal.

“It’s much harder because it doesn’t have the support of Federer and Nadal, which is really an amazing fact to me … as if they haven’t already taken enough money, so they need a few more millions, a few billion … I don’t know what it’s about, but yes they don’t support Novak for something that is generally good for those people who can barely make ends meet, it’s a really amazing enigma for me,” he commented. This scathing remark comes after Nadal's public condemnation of Djokovic's efforts in Melbourne while he himself did nothing to advocate for junior players, many of whom thanked Djokovic for his intervention.

Novak Djokovic vs Federer

The Novak Djokovic vs Federer rivalry has taken a new turn this year, despite the fact that the two men have not played against each other since the semi-final of the 2020 Australian Open where Djokovic made quick work of Federer. This new turn in the rivalry refers to Djokovic's historic takeover of the record of 'Most weeks spent at No. 1' by a male player — a record that has been held by Roger Federer since completed 310 weeks atop the ATP rankings on July 16, 2012. Djokovic's win at the Australian Open 2021 — his 18th Grand Slam title — will also put the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Grand Slams records of 20 titles each on shaky ground, adding another dimension to the rivalry.

Image Credits: AP