Roland-Garros – Novak Djokovic: “Federer and Nadal arrived on the circuit before me. They were more popular. I was the intruder from Serbia. »

Novak Djokovic is the most successful tennis player in history, with 24 Grand Slam victories. Title holder at Roland-Garros, he enters the fray this Tuesday at 20:15 p.m., with some uncertainty about his current level of form. Despite an impressive track record, the Serbian has always remained, in terms of popularity, in the shadow of Nadal or Federer. In an exceptional interview, to be found in the new issue ofInterviews currently on newsstands, “Djoko” looks back on his career, his youth, the war and even his rivalry with Nadal and Federer. Here is an exerpt…

David Walsh: Hello Novak. You hold the record for the number of Grand Slam tournaments, but the public is not always kind to you...
Novak Djokovic: It's definitely more pleasant when the crowd is behind you. It gives energy, like a gust of wind in the sails of a boat. It makes the game easier. But you're right, the truth is that I'm not the player who benefits from the most public support. We could see it when Federer or Nadal were on the other side of the net. It's always them that the public has supported against me. 

While you have the best record today. How do you explain that?
Federer and Nadal arrived on the circuit before me. They had their place at the center of the stage, they were more popular. I was the intruder from Serbia. 

Do you think this unpopularity, compared to them, had an impact on your performances?
In many matches, I had the public against me and so I had to find a way to flourish on the courts despite that. I haven't always succeeded, but I feel like I've learned to deal with it. 

You often showed great nervousness during matches… 
Yes, I can't always keep calm. I broke rackets, I did things I'm not proud of. I have no problem saying I made mistakes. I am an imperfect human being, without a doubt. At the same time, as time went on, I tried not to be too hard on myself, as I was earlier in my career. I was my own biggest critic.

You want to know more ? Discover the entirety of this interview in the new issue of Entrevue, currently on newsstands…