Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis legend, recently lavished praise on Novak Djokovic for achieving an extraordinary milestone in his career—one that Federer himself once held as a benchmark in men’s tennis. At a public event in London, Federer described Djokovic’s attainment of 23 Grand Slam singles titles as “incredible,” celebrating not just the number, but the manner in which Djokovic continues to extend the records with consistency, resilience, and excellence.
Federer acknowledged that Djokovic’s record is not only a measure of dominance but also of longevity: Djokovic has won major titles well into the latter parts of his career—when many would expect performance to dip. “He isn’t the youngest any more … he looks young, and he does it in such a young way, but it’s not easy,” Federer said, emphasizing how maintaining top-form over many years is itself a rare feat.
In reflecting on this, Federer cast attention on how tennis history has been rewritten multiple times. He recalled how, when he first started, Pete Sampras’s 14 Grand Slams was considered untouchable. Then Federer himself raised the bar, then Rafael Nadal, and now Djokovic has pushed it yet further to 23. Federer sees this back-and-forth among the greats not as rivalry alone, but as a chain of inspiration that elevates the whole sport.
Federer also pointed out that Djokovic’s recent success is “great for tennis, great for sports when tennis writes its own history and keeps on adding to it like we’ve seen with Serena Williams, Rafa then myself and now with Novak.” ([SABC Sport][1]) He added that it’s “a great time to be a fan but also a player” to witness such records being set and re-set.
Finally, Federer noted how Djokovic’s latest Grand Slam triumph (at Roland Garros) was not just a numerical feat but also an “amazing victory.” He expressed his genuine happiness at Djokovic’s achievement. “I couldn’t have been more happy for him,” he said, celebrating not only the achievement, but the way it was earned.
In short, Federer hailed Djokovic’s breaking of the Grand Slam record (to 23 majors) as “incredible” because it represents sustained excellence, rewriting of history, and defying expectations tied to age. He commended Djokovic’s recent major win as amazing, and expressed joy at seeing how the sport continues to evolve through such achievements. If you like, I can pull together more recent comments (2024-2025) or see what Federer has said more recently about Djokovic to see how Federer’s admiration has evolved.
