The winner of 24 Grand Slam titles, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic admitted that he felt emotional pain due to unfair treatment by fans and non-acceptance of him as a member of the “Big Three”.
Novak Djokovic in an interview with Slaven Bilic
I was never as loved as Federer and Nadal because I wasn't supposed to be there. I was the little guy, the third guy who came along and said, 'I'm going to be number one.' Many people didn't like that. I acted and still felt like an unwanted child. I asked myself why that was. It hurt me. Then I thought the fans would accept me if I acted differently. But that wasn't the case either. I've always respected both him and Federer; I've never said a single bad word about them and never will. I looked up to them and still do. But I've always gotten along better with Nadal.
At the moment, the Serbian tennis player is ranked fifth in the ATP world rankings.
Note that the Spaniard Rafael Nadal finished his career in 2024, and the Swiss Roger Federer - in 2020.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic answered the question whether he had lost his motivation to play after the departure of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
