Srdjan Djokovic, the outspoken father of Novak Djokovic who has stayed out of the limelight during his son’s recent ascension to the top of the tennis world, is back in the headlines after giving an interview to the Serbian daily Kurir in which he blasts Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The bulk of the interview has Srdjan sounding like a normal doting father. Near the end, when asked what he’s most proud of, Srdjan says it’s how Novak handles defeats with grace. (On this point, he’s absolutely correct — Djokovic is as classy a loser as in there is in sports.) He singles out his son as the only player to act in such a way. (Less accurate.) Not even Federer or Nadal, Srdjan is asked? That’s when things got interesting.
(With the caveat that this is a translation from Serbian to English.)
On Federer:
“Federer is perhaps still the best tennis player in history, but as a man he’s the opposite. He attacked Novak at the Davis Cup in Geneva, he realized that he was his successor and was trying to discredit him in every way. Novak’s success is an amazing thing and something that one can not understand.”
Wowza. Part of me wonders how much of the tone is lost in translation. Surely Srdjan isn’t saying Roger is the worst person in history. Right? RIGHT??! Either way, it appears Srdjan had no interest in taking the high road. On the bright side, at least he said Federer was the best player in history. It’s the little things.
There’s long been bad blood between the Federer and Djokovic clans. In the aforementioned Davis Cup tie, Federer questioned Djokovic’s use of medical timeouts. He was far from the only person to mention this early in Djokovic’s career. Later, Federer told the Djokovic family to “be quiet” during a match in 2008. (Often when this story is told, Federer’s mild rebuke gets upgraded to a vindictive “shut up.” The video doesn’t lie, however.)
Djokovic’s mother said “the king is dead” after Novak beat Roger in the 2008 Australian Open semifinals. There are the usual whispers of tension whenever the families are near. But Srdjan’s quotes take it to the next level.
On Nadal:
“Nadal was his best friend while he was winning. When things changed, they were no longer friends. It’s not sporting.”
He’s less harsh toward Nadal, but it’s still a substantial dig.
Srdjan sounds like a Little League father telling other parents how his son’s the best and other sons can’t compare. It’s cheap and tawdry. Srdjan can say what he wants, but Novak doesn’t have to be happy about it.
Still, we can’t be too mad at Srdjan. He used to wear a T-shirt with his son’s picture emblazoned over a falcon, so he gets carte blanche to talk as much smack as he wants.
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