Federer: “I didn’t give Djokovic the respect he deserved”

"It seemed to me that he had obvious technical limitations, but then he corrected them and became a monster"

ROME – “I didn’t give Djokovic the respect he deserved.” It’s a confession< /a>, that of Roger Federer. Perfect teaser for the documentary about the farewell to tennis coming out on Amazon Prime, “Twelve Final Days”. The King remembers the Serbian’s debut, as a third wheel in the duel between him and Nadal. An obvious oversight: “I think it was a bit misunderstood – says Federer – I faced him in Munich for the first time (the Swiss won 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, it was 2006, ed.), also if there was some hype around him, I wasn’t entirely convinced. I think I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical flaws. I felt like Novak had a really extreme forehand grip and his backhand for me wasn’t as fluid as it is nowadays. But then he solved these things very well and became a mostro” .

Federer admits that Nole was seen a bit “like the one who crashed the Rafa and Roger fans’ party. When Novak arrived probably a lot of people thought: we don’t need a third guy. We are happy with Roger and Rafa. Novak arrived with his strong personality and that incredible determination to win at all costs. I think Novak was also stimulated by the relationship with the fans. I think that deep concentration may have scared some.”

“I think it was a little misunderstood. I look beyond the media and finally see the man he is. If I take away his game, who is he? What are its values? I know he cares very deeply about his family.”