Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (Photo : Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer has opened about Novak Djokovic's recent struggles playing tennis, in which the Serb admitted he is redefining the meaning of success in his career.
Federer and Nadal have long been accustomed of struggling in the tennis scene, and Djokovic's loss of passion for the sport is nothing new to both players, who have experienced ups and downs in their respective careers. Apparently, both Federer and Nadal see tennis as less important compared to what life could offer.
In an interview with Swiss media outlet Tages Anzeiger, Federer revealed an interesting opinion about Djokovic's losing skid. The Swiss Maestro, a winner of 17 Grand Slam singles titles, believes Djokovic is "going through a crisis," but insisted it is part of the Serb beginning a new chapter in his career.
"Novak is going through a crisis, and it surprised me. I expected him to win an important tournament after Roland Garros, Toronto aside," Federer said via Tennis World USA.
"But once you realize Career Grand Slam, a new career begins. You have to ask yourself: why do I keep playing? You have to change your mentality: what are your goals? Sometimes it requires a week, sometimes a month, a year or you do not find the right feeling anymore."
Nadal also shared his opinion regarding Djokovic losing enjoyment of playing tennis. For the King of Clay, "happiness is other things," implying that the world No. 1 could find his own happiness elsewhere if he could not generate it by competing and winning tournaments.
"Life is much more than tennis, for me, personally. In my life there has always been a lot of very important things away from tennis, and it's true that tennis has been for the last, I'd say, 20 years an important part of my life, for sure, but in life there is a lot of more important things than just the game," Nadal said.
"So happiness is other things: the health of your family, the people who you love and their health and to be close to them. That, in my opinion, is happiness."
Djokovic revealed a few weeks ago the reason behind his losing slump since winning the French Open earlier this year. For the first time in his career, Djokovic conquered Roland Garros and was poised to duplicate his impressive run last year, but his loss' passion in playing tennis contributed to upsets that prevented him from winning at Wimbledon, the Olympics and US Open.
Djokovic still has two events to attend to this year, giving him a chance to get back in his winning ways and reassert his spot in the world rankings. After suffering another upset in Shanghai, Djokovic heads into the Paris to defend his title at the BNP Paribas Open before competing at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.
Video courtesy: YouTube/Djoker Nole
