Federer on Djokovic: "Made me a better player"
Roger Federeralso commented on his big rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the end of his comeback at the ATP tournament in Doha (from 4 p.m. in our live ticker!).
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Mar 10, 2021, 09:54 am
Today it's getting serious for Roger Federer: From 4 p.m., after a break of more than a year, he will meet his Doha training partner Dan Evans. A gallop to more? We will see. After the tournament in Doha, Federer may still want to play in Dubai, then insert a four to six week training block. He left open a participation in the clay court tour.
If Federer has his way, he wants to be back at 100 percent from Wimbledon - also to measure himself against the current best there. Which means again: with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The maestro closely observed their past results. "What Novak and Rafa have recently achieved is extraordinary," said Federer, referring to Nadal's win in Roland Garros and Djokovic's win at the Australian Open. "They are also less than 25 years old, but they seem to be at their peak."
Djokovic had replaced Federer this week as the record holder in terms of world number one , Federer had again emphasized that records are there to be broken. At the moment he would concentrate more on himself and his tennis than on his records, according to the Swiss. "For them I'm maybe something like the yardstick as Pete Sampras was for me," he philosophized.
Federer on Djokovic: "mode in which he doesn't hit a ball"
Matches against Djokovic and Nadal - they are also what drives Federer on. "I like to play against him," he said of Djokovic. "I think we're getting the best out of ourselves." Further: "We have different styles of play, it always depends on the shape of the day, on which place we play, how the matches have gone up to then." You have to unpack the best tennis against the best players, otherwise it's not enough, "especially against someone like Novak, who can switch to a mode in which he doesn't hit a ball." Djokovic could "defend very well and play aggressively, he has a good balance. That is why he is one of the greatest players of all."
Playing against Djokovic was "a pleasure", concluded Federer. "He's one of the players that made me a better player."