Novak Djokovic Pondered on Retirement Out of Frustrations Against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal
World's no.1 Novak Djokovic admitted that he had retirement on his mind few years ago before he finally found the formula to beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the Serb reminisced his struggles in an interview on a Serbian Talk Show.
Djokovic, who came short of defending his Australian Open championship for the fourth straight time last month, shared his love affair with tennis and the breakup that could have happened four years ago out of his frustrations stemming from his failure to beat the top two netters at that time - Federer and Nadal.
"With tennis it was love at first sight, since I was 4 years old. I always enjoyed a lot of support from my family, my club and the government, but in 2010 my relationship with this sport was of both hate and love," Djokovic said.
"I was losing a lot when facing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and I seriously thought about retiring. Then I told myself that I had to survive these feelings and I had to win Wimbledon, which has always been the main goal of my whole life," added Nole, who has improved his head-to-head record against both Federer and Nadal over the next four years.
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Djokovic blew his chance of becoming the first player in the Open Era to win five Australian Open title after bowing out to eventual champion Stanislas Wawrinka in their epic quarterfinal showdown at Melbourne Park. Despite the setback, Djokovic felt happy for the Swiss to finally have his breakthrough win and join the circle of Grand Slam winners.
"I was happy for Wawrinka's success in Australia, because he managed to play better when it mattered the most. To win in Melbourne is always special, because is the first tournament of the year and the motivations are stronger," Djokovic said.
Meanwhile, the Serb has also revealed his upcoming marriage with Jelena Restic during the talk show. Djokovic already made his proposal to Restic in 2013, but the date of their marriage remains a secret up to now.
"Jelena, enjoy it while you can. In a couple of months you will be changing your last name to Djokovic," Djokovic hinted about his upcoming marriage with his long-time girlfriend.