Novak Djokovic was gifted a trip to the Australian Open men’s semifinals after Lorenzo Musetti retired with a leg injury while leading by two sets (6-4, 6-3, 1-3) in a quarterfinal match. Djokovic will face two-time Australian Open defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals on Friday, with Sinner viewed as a massive favorite in the match.
After Tuesday’s match, Djokovic took issue with a question from a reporter in Melbourne who suggested that Djokovic was “chasing” Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal early in his career and is now “chasing” Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
“In the early part of your career, when you were chasing Roger and Rafa for titles, and now at the back-end of your career, you’re chasing Jannik and Carlos,” the reporter began.
“I’m chasing Jannik and Carlos?” Djokovic interjected. “In which sense?”
“In terms of winning Grand Slam titles just right now,” the reporter clarified.
“So, I’m always the chaser, and I’m never being chased?” Djokovic asked.
“In the meantime, you’ve won 24 Grand Slams,” the reporter noted.
“Thanks,” Djokovic responded. “It’s worth saying that sometimes, right?”
That was followed by a “Sorry” from the reporter and a “No worries” from Djokovic, before the reporter continued with the question.
“What I’m saying is, is it possible to compare the way you felt initially when you were chasing Roger and Rafa with now, when Jannik and Carlos have split the last eight [Grand Slams]?”
Novak Djokovic proceeded to call the reporter’s framing “disrespectful.”
“I find it a little bit disrespectful that you kind of miss out on what happened in between, where the times when I started ‘chasing’ as you say, Rafa and Roger, and now that I’m ‘chasing’ Carlos and Jannik,” Djokovic explained. “There’s probably about a 15-year period in between, where I was dominating the Grand Slams, so I think it’s important to put that into perspective. I don’t feel like I’m chasing, to be honest.”
“Roger and Rafa will always be my greatest rivals,” Djokovic said. “I have tremendous respect for what Jannik and Carlos are doing, and they continue to do, and they will do for the next 10 to 15, 20 years… This is kind of a natural cycle in sports. You’re going to have another two superstars that are going to maybe have another third guy that I’m going to cheer for, because I’ve always been the third guy at the beginning. It’s good for our sport. I think these kind of rivalries and the contrast of the personalities and the styles of play are very good for tennis. And how’s that affecting me? As I said, I don’t feel like I’m chasing. I’m creating my own history.”
“I’ve been very clear when I say that my intention is always to, in terms of achievements, and objectives, and results, I want to get to the championship match in every tournament, particularly slams,” Djokovic continued. “And the slams are the one of the biggest reasons why I keep on competing and playing tennis. So, yeah, that’s all I can say. Are they better right now than me and all of the other guys? Yes, they are. The quality and the level is amazing. It’s great. It’s phenomenal. Does that mean that I walk out with a white flag? No. I’m going to fight til the last shot, til the last point, and do my very best to challenge them.”
Novak Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles, including a record 10 Australian Open titles. He was ranked No. 1 in the world for a record 428 weeks. So, it’s understandable that he was irked by the reporter’s comments. But at least for now, he hasn’t gone through with a media boycott like last year’s Australian Open.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.