Novak Djokovic may be struggling to get past Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at major tournaments today, but things were very different in his prime. Back then, one of tennis’s most intense rivalries unfolded between Djokovic and Swiss maestro Roger Federer.
Now, years after Federer’s retirement, Djokovic’s ex-coach has explained why the 20-time Grand Slam champion was always seen as his player’s “enemy” on the lawns of Wimbledon.
Boris Becker Unveils the Strategy He Used to Keep Novak Djokovic Composed While Facing Roger Federer
Djokovic and Federer have faced each other 50 times in their careers, with Djokovic leading 27–23. The lawns of Wimbledon saw them competing four times. Federer won their first encounter in the 2012 semi-final, but Djokovic won the next three meetings in 2014, 2015, and 2019, including the record-breaking 2019 final, the longest singles final in Wimbledon history.
Years after Federer marked an end to his professional career, Djokovic’s ex-coach Boris Becker stepped forward to explain how the Swiss legend was always the biggest “enemy” for the Serb at Wimbledon. He also unveiled the mental training for Djokovic to make him match-ready while avoiding fans’ one-sided support for Federer.
“Federer was always Djokovic’s enemy, especially at Wimbledon, for two reasons: because he was very good on grass and because he was the most loved. So I explained to Djokovic that the people in the stands weren’t against him, but they were there to cheer for Federer, so he shouldn’t take it personally and should fight to find a way to make these people like him,” he said in a recent interview with High Performance.
Djokovic partnered with Becker from December 2013 to December 2016, joining Becker alongside longtime coach Marián Vajda. During their three-year collaboration, Djokovic won six Grand Slam titles and 14 ATP Masters 1000 events. Under Becker’s guidance, he also achieved the remarkable feat of holding all four major titles simultaneously after the 2016 French Open.
Djokovic Drops a Pack of Good and Bad News for Fans
Djokovic has been keeping himself on the sidelines after his last professional appearance at the US Open. While fans were eagerly waiting for him to step back on the courts, the 24-time Grand Slam champion unveiled a surprise by confirming his entry at the upcoming Masters 1000 event in Shanghai.
While the update was jolly enough to excite fans, Djokovic stunned them by expressing uncertainty about his participation in the Australian Open 2026. While announcing his entry in Athens (an event moved from Serbia to Greece), he cited declining physical strength as the reason for his uncertainty about competing in Melbourne.
“That’s far. Australia is far. I mean, I mean, at least at this stage of my career. I mean, I’m not thinking that far, to be honest. I don’t know. I’m planning to play Athens tournament, that’s for sure. But other than that, it’s really still a question mark where I’m going to go and what I’m going to do,” he said.
The upcoming Masters 1000 event in Shanghai is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Top pros, including Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, and others, will join the action.
