World No. 1 Novak Djokovic said his career rival Roger Federer is one of the many tennis greats who has a "great understanding" of the sport.
Djokovic may be targeting to eclipse Federer's all-time Grand Slam record, but the Serb has the utmost respect over the Swiss Maestro despite their rich rivalry on the tennis court. In an interview with Tennis Actu, Djokovic said he sees Federer as one of the most intelligent tennis players to play the sport.
"It's hard to give you just a few names," Djokovic said as translated by Tennis World USA. "There is Roger Federer, who has steadily grown throughout his career and still continues to do everything to be the best yet. But all the great players have a great understanding of sport and tennis."
Djokovic has gotten the upper hand over Federer this year, after the Belgrade native defeated the 34-year-old Swiss at the Australian Open in January. The victory has not only sailed Djokovic through his sixth Australian Open title, but puts him ahead of Federer in their FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup by 23-22.
Djokvoic is still six titles away to equal Federer's 17 Grand Slam wins, but the Serb is in good position to achieve such rare feat, winning all the tournaments he joined this season. His most recent win came at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where the 28-year-old Djokovic cruised past Canada's Milos Raonic 6-2 6-0.
"Once I was here I was starting to feel much better, and I ended out the tournament in the way that I wanted," Djokovic said, reports the Los Angeles Times. "It has obviously been a great couple of weeks. To win this tournament five times is a fantastic achievement for my team and I."
Djokovic and Federer will once again have the chance to face each other this week at the Miami Open, where the Swiss Maestro returns from a post-surgery knee recuperation. Djoker is expected to enter the tournament in South Beach as the top seed, while Federer could probably land another third seeding.
If both players get past their opponents in the earlier rounds of the tournament, there is a chance fans would get to witness another thrilling match from two of the greatest competitors in the history of the sport.