Roger Federer is backing his former rival and current World No. 2 Novak Djokovic to "crush every record" ahead of his expected return to the Royal Box at Wimbledon.
Federer has previously stated he was unappreciative of the hype surrounding Djokovic when he burst onto the scene in his late teens. But with time, the Swiss grew to respect the Serb's unrelenting determination to build on his game and legacy and emerge as the most successful tennis player of all time.
In his recently released documentary Twelve Final Days, Federer lifted the lid on his relationship with Djokovic from the early phase of their careers and explained why his rival's personality and winning habit against him and Rafael Nadal irked most tennis fans.
Djokovic lived up to his prophetic words as a toddler when he said he wanted to become World No. 1 . He's spent more weeks at the top spot than any other singles player (428 weeks) and has won a record 24 Grand Slams.
In an episode of Trevor Noah’s What Now? Podcast, Federer tipped Djokovic to break every remaining record in sight by himself and spoke of his admiration of Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal's resilience.
"There was this moment when we could take it all in, our careers were flashing in front of our eyes, especially for them who are still going. They're like, 'We are so fortunate that were are living as a tennis player. Fortunate to still be going.'"
"Hopefully, Novak (Djokovic) can go and crush every record, Murray can play as long as his hip allows, and Rafa (Nadal) knew that he was in a tough spot as well. He hopes he can win as much as possible."
Federer is reportedly in London this week and is expected to be in the Royal Box, possibly on Thursday. It will be interesting to see if he will watch Djokovic's second-round match against Jacob Fearnley on Centre Court as the second seed bids to win a record-equaling eighth Wimbledon title.