Rivalries with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray Made Me Stronger: Novak Djokovic

After battling his method into the final 16 of the Italian Open, Novak Djokovic stated that rivalries with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray have made him stronger within the face of adverse circumstances.

Djokovic, the highest seed and defending champion, moved into the final 16 of the Italian Open however needed to work arduous, profitable in opposition to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 on Sunday.

“Luckily for me in my profession, I managed to win extra matches than people who I misplaced after I was going through tough circumstances. I additionally misplaced a number of matches, significantly to start with of my profession. For a number of years, every time I wanted to make that closing step or win a Slam, I ‘idn’t handle to do this, so I realized loads,” Djokovic was quoted by Eurosport.

The quartet — Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray — have been the dominant players for most of the last 20 years, winning combined 67 Grand Slam titles.

They have engaged in numerous Grand Slam finals and high-profile matches, and they collectively dominated the world No. 1 ranking from 2004 all the way until 2022.

“I got stronger because of the rivalries, particularly with Federer, Nadal and Murray. Just staying the course, staying patient and believing in the process and the journey…understanding what works for you best, what’s your winning formula, mentally and also physically and emotionally, and then sticking to it,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion added.

Bidding to achieve the quarterfinals of the Italian Open for the seventeenth time from as many appearances, Djokovic will subsequent face No. 13 seed Brit Cameron Norrie.

The Serbian is the defending champion in Rome and is about to lose the world No. 1 to Carlos Alcaraz after the match.

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed)