He was the only one left to complete the extraordinary album of congratulations. The day after the announcement of Roger Federer’s retirement from sport by the person concerned, Novak Djokovic reacted. It was on his Instagram account that the Serb, who fought for years with the Swiss champion in the biggest tournaments in the world, finally spoke.
“Roger, it is difficult to live this and to put into words everything that we have shared in this sport together, can we read. Over a decade of incredible moments and clashes. Your career has set the tone for what it means to achieve excellence and lead with integrity and balance. It’s an honor to know you on and off the pitch, and for many years to come. »
As soon as the announcement of the 41-year-old Swiss legend’s departure from the field, many players immediately spoke, including Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, Serena Williams, Gaël Monfils, Fabio Fognini, Stanislas Wawrinka, Carlos Alcaraz… and of course Rafael Nadal. “It has been a pleasure but also an honor and a privilege to share all these years with you, to experience so many fantastic moments on and off the courts,” said the Majorcan on Twitter. “I wish that day never happened.”
In the clashes between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, we particularly remember the final at Wimbledon in 2019, won by the Serb at the end of the suspense (7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12 ). The first match of the Open era played in a tie-break at 12-12 in the last set, a rule introduced only since that year, and the longest final played at Wimbledon (4:57).
These two players have faced each other 50 times in total, the Serb having won 27 times (11 wins to six in the Grand Slam). Among the last major tournaments that saw the two champions face each other, Federer’s last victory dates back to the 2019 Masters, in the group stage (6-4, 6-3). The two players have also won three small slams each (3 major tournaments won in the same year) and have shared 683 weeks at the top of the world rankings (373 against 310).