“Why do you think he still plays at 40 years old?” – Srdjan Djokovic takes a shot at Roger Federer over career longevity

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4 years ago

Novak Djokovic along with his father Srdjan Djokovic during a game. (Image Credits: Google)

This is not the first time Srdjan, father of Novak Djokovic, has criticised Roger Federer

Srdjan Djokovic, the father of Serbian tennis star Novak, took a dig at Swiss maestro Roger Federer recently.

Djokovic is the current World No.1, however, he is still three titles short of Federer, who is the only male player in history to win a record 20 Grand Slam titles.

This is not the first time Srdjan, has been critical of Federer, who according to him is not as good enough as his son Novak.

Novak Djokovic along with his father Srdjan Djokovic during a game. (Image Credits: Google)

Djokovic’s father was of the opinion that Federer still kept playing despite turning 38 as he found it difficult to accept that his son and Spaniard Rafael Nadal could turn out to better than him.

“Why do you think he still plays at 40 years old? He cannot accept the fact that both Novak and Nadal will be better than him. Go home, raise children, go skiing, do something. Tennis isn’t everything in life, it’s just a hobby for my son,” Srdjan said while speaking to Sportklub.

Swiss maestro Roger Federer holds the record for the maximum number of Grand Slam wins by a male player (20) in the history of tennis. (Getty Images)

“He is the typical cold Swiss, a great rival of my son as well as champion, but he is not good enough to be compared to Novak,” Djokovic’s father added.

Federer also holds the record for being the World No.1 for the maximum number of weeks – 310.

“You can expect everything from Federer”

Srdjan’s remarks have come just a day after his son praised Federer as the best tennis player to have wielded a racket. Federer, on the other hand, will miss the rest of the season as he had to undergo a second operation, just months after undergoing surgery on his right knee.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic, unlike his father, was full on praise for his fellow ATP star Roger Federer. (Getty Images)

Unlike his father, Djokovic was full of praise for his fellow ATP star. Djokovic was talking about Federer’s return to action in 2021, admitting that the player was totally capable of anything.

“You can expect everything from Federer because he is probably the greatest tennis player to have held a racket,” the Serb said.

Djokovic also shared his opinions regarding the best player to have played in the history of tennis. According to the Serb, it was difficult to compare different generations and put forth the example of Bjorn Borg, who retired from tennis at just 26 years of age, having won 11 Grand Slam titles.