“It’s unbelievable”: Federer praises Grand Slam record holder Djokovic

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Praise rained down on Novak Djokovic as he lifted the French Open trophy for the third time. The Serbian now has 23 Grand Slam titles to his name and is the only record holder in the men’s category.

Tennis greats such as Rafael Nadal (37) or Andy Murray (36) led the list of benefactors, Roger Federer has not been heard from until now. “What Novak did is incredible,” says the 41-year-old on the sidelines of a tennis court opening in south-east London. “It’s great for the sport that tennis continues to make its history, with Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, me and now Novak.”

When the Maestro came on the tour in 1998, Australian Roy Emerson (86) was the record holder with twelve Grand Slam victories. Pete Sampras (51, USA) raised the record with three titles between 1999 and 2002 to 14.

“I thought, okay, that’s going to be the record forever,” Federer recalled. Not even close. “I got 15, went to 17 and then we pushed each other to 20 until Nadal ended up with 22.”

And with Djokovic holding the most titles, he is just missing one more to match Margaret Court’s all-time record (80). Federer is excited about the way the 36-year-old continues to dominate his competition: “He looks young and plays like that. It’s been an incredible success, I couldn’t have been happier.” De Basler sees no end yet: “It seems that he will continue like this for a long time. I only wish him the best.”

Federer visiting Wimbledon

In London, Federer can be seen in public again on the tennis court for the first time since his resignation last September. With schoolchildren, he inaugurates newly renovated courts, which are only about 30 minutes from the O2 Arena, where he had his last professional appearance.

He also announced that he will spend a few days at Wimbledon again this year. Federer won the most legendary tennis tournament in the world eight times (from July 3 to 16), most recently in 2017. (che)

Source : Blick