How Novak Djokovic reacted when asked if he was intimidated by Roger Federer

There was a time in the 2000s when Roger Federer was undoubtedly the top player in tennis.

Before the decade even ended, Federer had already claimed 15 of his 20 Grand Slam titles, which included an incredible run of five straight Wimbledon and US Open victories.

He also won three Australian Open titles during that period and completed his Career Grand Slam by taking Roland Garros in 2009.

While Federer did face plenty of tests from Rafael Nadal over those years, there really wasn’t anyone else who came close to matching his level at that time.

That is until Novak Djokovic arrived on the scene. The Serbian has made it clear from early on that he believed he could rise to compete with the best, which eventually put him right alongside Federer and Nadal at the very top of the sport.

What Novak Djokovic said about Roger Federer back in 2007

In 2007, Djokovic began to turn heads on the ATP Tour, having picked up his first Masters title in Miami and then making it through to his first major semi-final at Roland Garros.

He carried that momentum into Wimbledon, where he reached another semi-final, taking down both Lleyton Hewitt and Marcos Baghdatis along the way.

Before facing Nadal in that semi-final, Djokovic was asked about Federer and why his confidence in beating him seemed different from others on tour.

The Serbian responded: “Why should I be frightened? For me it’s totally normal thing. If you go out on the court thinking positively and thinking, I can win against anybody, I think that’s a right thinking.

“If you go with the white flag on the court, what you’re doing there? You know what I mean?

“Federer is surely No. 1 player of the world already for last four years, the best player, most consistent player, probably one of the best tennis players in the history of this sport. We all know that.

“But looking from my point of view I really want to get to that place. That’s my goal: To be No. 1 player of the world. I’m really going slowly even though I made fantastic results in last two years. But I’m really trying to go step by step, really slowly, and I’m sure that my time will come.”

Novak Djokovic’s first win against Roger Federer

When Djokovic made those remarks, Federer had already beaten him in each of their first four encounters, with all those matches taking place between 2006 and 2007.

Federer first defeated Djokovic at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2006, then again in the Davis Cup later that year, and followed up with two more wins at the 2007 Australian Open and Dubai Tennis Championships.

Their next meeting was at the Canadian Open final in 2007. This time, Djokovic took the opening set for the first time in their head-to-head series. He edged out a tiebreak to take the lead before Federer responded by taking the second set comfortably, 6-2.

But another tiebreak decided the third set, with Djokovic coming out on top to claim his first win over Federer and his second Masters title. Over their careers, they faced each other several times, with Djokovic finishing on top.

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