Novak Djokovic recently reflected on being impacted by Roger Federer indirectly in terms of managing the hectic tennis schedule. In recent years, the Serb has been meticulous in his approach to prioritizing certain tournaments over others, and according to him, his former rival played a vital role in shaping this particular approach.
In the twilight years of Federer’s own stellar career, he managed his schedule in a way that allowed him to peak at the most significant tournaments in the sport. Djokovic, the only player who is still active from the legendary ‘Big Four’ era, told Croatian soccer icon Slaven Bilic that observing the Swiss eventually led to him adopting a similar approach.
The Serb said on the Neuspjeh Prvaka podcast:
“For most of your career, when you’re young, every tournament counts. Many say that the Grand Slams are the most important. But in reality, they don’t live and train according to their schedule to be at their best for the Grand Slams, to be as fresh as possible for these events. They don’t. Why? Maybe they don’t believe in themselves enough, that they can go far in a Grand Slam tournament.”
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Novak Djokovic went on to cite Roger Federer's indirect influence. However, the former No. 1, currently ranked fifth, admitted that at times, his schedule management was flawed.
"Not everyone is cut out to compete at the top, and that’s normal. But there are ways. Federer helped me a lot in that regard, not directly but indirectly. I observed how he planned his schedule. He helped me understand how to manage my form, when to take a break, even if I didn’t want to. I also made mistakes. I didn’t take a break when I should have, but most of the time, I made the right decisions," the Serb added.
The 24-time Major champion had touched on the same subject back in 2019.
Novak Djokovic hailed Roger Federer for Swiss' "great way of dealing with the schedule" in 2019
After underwhelming, injury-marred seasons in 2016 and 2017, Novak Djokovic rediscovered his finest form in 2018. The following year, he reflected on how his management of the tennis schedule helped him overcome his slump. The Serb also praised Roger Federer for the Swiss' way of picking and choosing tournaments in a prudent manner.
"Federer has always had a great way of dealing with the schedule. I think in terms of scheduling, I've learned a lot from him, in terms of how to pick certain tournaments and peak at the right time so you can perform your best when it's most needed, the most important events," Djokovic told Business Insider.
The Serb and the Swiss' epic rivalry saw them clash on 50 occasions, with the former coming out on top 27 times. Their last competitive meeting came in the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open, where Djokovic prevailed with a 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-3 victory.
Federer retired at the 2022 Laver Cup, but the Serb, now 38, continues to impress with his performances. Earlier this year, he won his 100th career singles title at the Geneva Open. More recently, he reached the semifinals of this year's French Open, where he was eliminated by eventual runner-up Jannik Sinner.
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