The legacy of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic (the only one of the three who will continue competing in 2025) will leave in the world of tennis beyond their sporting achievements and successes, since their figure will always be remembered in the sport of racquet.
Hearing the names of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic scared any tennis player who measured themselves against them, which is known as aura, and this topic came up in the conversation between Denis Shapovalov, Thanasi Kokkinakis and Dominic Thiem at UTS Tour.
A Shapovalov who highlighted that he was impressed by Roger Federer. “Roger Federer, I think he still is to this day. I saw Roger in Halle last year and started to panic a little. I usually get along well with Novak Djokovic, perhaps because I have trained with him more times.
For his part, Kokkinakis emphasized Djokovic’s drive. “I think something similar happened to me with Novak Djokovic. Rafa Nadal is very correct. You see Federer as very nice when you are young and the same thing happens to you with Rafa Nadal. But with Novak it’s ‘damn, this guy doesn’t like to lose and drinks juices all day.’”
A Djokovic that Shapovalov also referred to, remembering the final of the 2019 Paris Masters 1,000 between the two. “I remember the year I reached the final in Paris. I played with him in the final. And I was like, ‘Oh, man,’ because I had heard rumors that he was sick. all week. And I was drinking their juices all the time. It was like ‘I have him, I have to play the best tennis of my life, he is not feeling well, he is not one hundred percent’. It was my chance. Nothing, he played with me.”
Regarding Djokovic, Kokkinakis also pointed out how the Serbian raises his level more when the stands provoke him. “And the worst thing is that people make him angry. If he starts to get angry because of what they say to him from the stands, boy, grab your things.” Something that Thiem supports: “At that moment you want to tell the stands ‘please be quiet.’“Don’t make him angry, make him happy.”
A Thiem who, however, believes that the greatest form of aura in tennis is facing Rafa Nadal at Roland Garros. “I think the worst thing that could happen to you in tennis is playing against Rafa Nadal at the Philippe Chatrier. And when the guy starts saying, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010… And when he finishes it’s like ‘okay, you’ve already lost.'”
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