Novak Djokovic’s dad Srdan has blasted Roger Federer as the two tennis legends continue their battle to go down as the greatest player of all time.
Federer, 38, is expected to retire over the coming years and his legacy is currently stronger than both of his main rivals – Rafael Nadal and Djokovic.
The Swiss star is the oldest player to ever reach world No 1 and he has the most Grand Slam titles with 20.
Nadal is just one major tournament trophy behind Federer and Djokovic has three fewer.
However, tennis fans around the world generally give a warmer reception to Federer and Nadal than Djokovic. But the Serbian’s dad has hit out at the world No 3 for his behaviour off the court.
“Federer has been jealous of Novak from the moment he made his breakthrough because he knew that my son was better than him and that he would tower over him,” Srdan told Serbian newspaper Novosti.
“Federer is an outstanding tennis player, but I couldn’t say that about his humanity.”
Meanwhile, Djokovic cleared up his feelings towards Federer and Nadal during a media event in Serbia yesterday.
“I’ve read a lot of stuff suggesting that I am disliked but I really don’t have that impression, especially off-court,” Djokovic said.
“Even if that was true, why would I want to add fuel to the fire?
“I don’t want to stir up negative emotions — hatred and anger.
“I have no ill feelings for people who don’t support me. Having said that, I am not proud of my occasional reactions on the court as my passion gets the better of my self-control at times.
“I will always admit that I do make mistakes and I always try to learn from them. You reap what you sow and it is never my intention to generate bad energy.
“If I invest my energy in those stories that I am not loved, that story will keep growing and why would I want that?
“Of course you always want for people to cheer for me, but I don’t want that negativity. Those are not the kind of flowers that I want to grow in my garden.
“It is a fact that most fans support Federer and Nadal against me but that’s due to what they represent in world tennis.
“It doesn’t mean that fans hate me and it certainly doesn’t mean that I need to turn Serbia against the rest of the world just because fewer people support me in Grand Slam finals.”