A second arthroscopic knee surgery will sideline Roger Federer for the rest of the 2020 season.
That hasn't stopped Novak Djokovic's dad from declaring open season on the 38-year-old Swiss.
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Srdjan Djokovic unloaded on the 20-time Grand Slam champion suggesting the Swiss is still playing because of ego and that Federer "cannot accept the fact" that world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and second-ranked Rafael Nadal will surpass his Grand Slam record.
In an interview with Sportsklub, The elder Djokovic ridiculed Federer for still playing as he approaches his 39th birthday on August 8th.
"Why is this happening with Federer, who is still the most successful and best tennis player in the world?" Srdjan Djokovic told Sportsklub. "That is a fact according to the results, which will not be for a long time. Because he cultivates so much animosity towards Novak.
"They have developed a kind of respect over the years, but why do you think he still plays at 40? Imagine that, a 40-year-old man still plays tennis, when he can go home and do some more interesting things."
Srdjan Djokovic said Federer can't accept the reality his top two rivals will surpass him in the Grand Slam race and advised the father of two sets of twins to "do something else" with his life.
"But since both Nadal and Novak are breathing down his neck, he simply cannot accept the fact that they will be better than him," Srdjan Djokovic said. "Go man, raise children, do something else, go ski, do something. Tennis is not my whole life, it is just my son's current hobby."
In an interview last year, the elder Djokovic said his son will break the records of both Federer and 19-time Grand Slam champion Nadal.
"His wish is that by the end of his tennis career, which will last several more years, he will surpass the records of Nadal and Federer," Srdjan Djokovic said. "He is simply too ambitious and too good not to do that," said Srdjan Djokovic of his son. "If he hadn't sustained that (elbow) injury, we would be a step away from that goal. This way, he is just two steps away. And trust me: he will succeed."
Photo credit: Christopher Levy