Roger Federer enjoyed a very lengthy and very successful career at the top of tennis, earning himself countless fans along the way.
The Swiss star was a joy to behold on the court, and was unsurprisingly given an unforgettable send-off upon his retirement.
After clinching 20 Grand Slams – eight of which came at Wimbledon – Federer finally called it a day in 2022.
But he has perhaps lost a few followers since then, not least because of the dominance of Novak Djokovic.
The two came face to face several times on the court, with the Serbian overtaking the Swiss on the all-time Grand Slam list.
Roger Federer fires dig at Novak Djokovic
And it wouldn’t be tennis without a bit of friction between the top stars, with the 2009 Australian Open representing Federer’s turn to have a go at Djokovic.
While defending his crown, the latter was forced to retire against Andy Roddick in the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
And it certainly wasn’t the first time he made such a decision, with Djokovic having retired in two major clashes against Rafael Nadal.
Federer, who incidentally went on to lose the 2009 Australian Open final to the Spaniard, was certainly not happy with his fellow pro.
“It’s happened before,” said Federer. “He’s not the guy who has never given up in his career. So that’s kind of disappointing to see, when you’ve got two top guys playing each other and you give up.
“He gave up against me in Monaco last year because of a sore throat. Those are the kind of things you wonder about.
“I’ve only given up basically once in my career when I couldn’t move because of my back.”
Tennis fans fume at Roger Federer after what he said about Novak Djokovic
Fans have now taken exception to the comments after they re-emerged on social media, with one user noting: “Roger was mad disrespectful towards him at the beginning.”
Another joked: “That aged well for Roger then,” while another said: “Low class. I’m glad that Nole has almost every record of his.”
Someone else posted: “And in him Djokovic created a choker. He’s not the guy who has never choked in his career. He choked twice against Novak in USO, and then Wimbledon. Those are the kind of things Novak would have said if he was classless but he didn’t.”
Another added: “Federer. He lived with narcissism and vanity throughout his career, believing that he was the invincible champion and that tennis without him meant nothing. After 2011, he was broken inside because there was someone better than him and this made it difficult for him to come back.”
Another user simply said: “Federer feared him from the start.”
Djokovic is seeking to secure his 25th grand slam this month at the French Open, and is now into the fourth round after beating Lorenzo Musetti, with the Serb impressing fans afterwards with a speech in French.
The late-night encounter at Roland Garros finished 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in favour of Djokovic, who was full of praise for the Italian after the epic clash.
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