Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal haven't played for some time now, and the only one left of the so-called 'Big Three' is Novak Djokovic.
However, the Serbian tennis player admitted in his latest confession that he doubted his role. "I've never been as admired and loved as Federer and Nadal because I just wasn't meant to be there.
"I was the little guy, the third guy who came in and said, 'I'm going to be number one,' and a lot of people didn't like that," said the most successful tennis player in history in terms of Grand Slam titles.
Today, at 38, Djokovic is nearing the end of his career. After this year's semi-final finish at the French Open, he hinted that it could be his last appearance in Paris.
Djokovic (24), Nadal (22) and Federer (20) together have collected an incredible 66 Grand Slam titles and shaped world tennis like no other before them. In addition to their sporting achievements, they were, of course, loved off the court.
While Federer and Nadal were idols to a large portion of tennis fans, the Serb became a source of controversy. At times, he behaved rashly, such as at the 2020 US Open, when out of frustration, he hit the line judge with a ball to the neck and was disqualified.
Or in 2022, when he gave an interview after a positive test for COVID-19. But there were other strange incidents that took points away from Djokovic.
"I'm obviously a man with many flaws. Still, I have always tried to live with an open heart and good intentions and ultimately be myself," he recounted.
'The better player always won'
Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title in 2008, by then Federer already had 10 triumphs and Nadal three. And although he matched both of them over the years, he felt people didn't wish him well.
"I played, and I still felt like an unwanted child. I asked myself why that was. It hurt me. For a while, I thought the fans would accept me if I acted differently. But even that didn't help," he admitted.
It's no secret that Djokovic's relationship with Federer and Nadal was more or less chilly during their on-court rivalry.
However, the current record holder for the most Grand Slam titles stresses that it was purely a sporting thing: "Just because someone is my biggest rival doesn't mean I want to hurt them or hate them. I just want to do things on the court to beat him. We fought for a lot of trophies, and the better player always won."
Nowadays, Novak Djokovic maintains a friendly relationship, especially with Rafael Nadal, and he says they have always been close to each other.
"I've always respected him and Federer, I've never said one bad word about them, and I never will. I looked up to them and I still do. But I always got along better with Nadal," added the Serbian tennis player.