Will Novak Djokovic finally get the acceptance he craves as retirement looms?
From the moment Novak Djokovic stepped on the biggest stages in tennis for the first time, his fight for acceptance began – and he is still facing up to that battle heading into what may be the final year of his career.
Hailing from war-torn Serbia, Djokovic openly admits he felt like an outsider as he took on rivals who came from nations more familiar with success to a glocal audience.
Switzerland’s Roger Federer, Spain’s Rafael Nadal and Scotland’s Andy Murray came from nations more familiar to the crowds there were performing in front of around the world, leaving Djokovic to try and find a way to share the stage with them.
When Federer and Nadal made it clear that they would not help him to settle into life at the top of men’s tennis, his challenge became even more acute.
“My behaviour towards them never changed,” said the 24-time Grand Slam champion stated during a conversation with former footballer and coach Slaven Bilic earlier this year.
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“The situation changed because they changed their behaviour towards me. I always tried to be, how to say, I admired them. And I still consider them as those who paved the way for me.
“Especially Federer, who is six years older than me. But from the moment I felt this coldness and distance from him, I told myself: ‘Ok, no problem.’
“Then, when they reached out to me, I welcomed them with open arms.
“With Nadal, I always felt I understood him better. We are the same age, so maybe that’s why.”
Djokovic has opened up on his relationship with Federer and Nadal in recent years, with his presence at the duos farewell events highlighting the annomisity they showed towards him has thawed.
“I have always respected and greatly admired Nadal. Thanks to him and Federer, I grew up and became who I am,” said Djokovic earlier this year.
“This will unite us forever, so I feel gratitude towards them. Nadal is a part of my life, in the last 15 years, I’ve seen more of him than my mum.
“We have never been friends. Between rivals, it is not possible, but we have never been enemies.
“I’ve always had respect for Federer, he was one of the greatest of all time. He had an extraordinary impact, but I’ve never been close to him.”
The additional challenges Djokovic has faced coming from a nation that gave him limited financial support in his formative days makes his success of winning more Grand Slam titles than Federer and Nadal all the more remarkable.
Yet the acceptance meant more to the player who came from a nation that was getting very little love from the global audiences he was trying to impress, his Serbia’s role in the Balkan war ensuring Djokovic was fighting a losing battle in his own world when he broke up the dominance of Federer and Nadal at the top of men’s tennis.
He was not embraced despite his success and even after winning his battle to secure more titles than Federer and Nadal, tennis fans refused to give Djokovic the respect he was due.
Jeers at Wimbledon and the US Open were especially hurtful, while the boos that came his way as he was forced to quit his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev last January was a shocking turn of events.
A ten-time champion in Melbourne deserved much more than he got on that occasion, with Zverev telling Tennis365 he has been shocked by the abuse that comes the way of Djokovic.
“People in the crowd paid for tickets and they want to see a battle probably between us with four hours, five hours, you know, going to distance,” Zverev told Tennis365 in an exclusive interview, as he looked back on a day that saw Djokovic booed as he left the court in Melbourne at an Adidas event.
“At the end of the day, he won that tournament 10 times. He won it with injury, he won a term on different occasions, with different problems.
“If he said that he can’t play a semi-final with Grand Slam, that means he can’t play a semi-final with Grand Slam.
“So I think he gets a lot of undeserved hate. Obviously, Roger and Rafa are probably two of the most loved athletes of all time, right? They’re probably both in the top 10 of the most-loved athletes of all time.
“ And Novak was spoiling the party a lot for the fans. But, you know, all I can say is Novak is genuinely a good guy.”
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Djokovic is respected by his fellow players who look up to him and relish the chance to take on the player widely respected as the greatest in tennis history.
So the time has come for tennis fans in 2026 to join that chorus of acclaim for a player who may soon join the ranks of former players.
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