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Novak Djokovic\u2019s coach confessed that his charge has been \u201clucky\u201d to have Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer around. Goran Ivanisevic explained that he had no trouble when it came to motivating the world No 1 because he could do that himself. And the Croat thought that Djokovic had been spurred on even more by his intense Big Three rivalry.<\/p>\n
Djokovic was a latecomer to the rivalry that Federer and Nadal had already formed between themselves. By the time the Serb won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open, Federer already had 12 to his name while the Spaniard had three.<\/p>\n
But the 36-year-old crashed their party and started challenging his rivals for the biggest titles in the sport and the No 1 ranking. And Ivanisevic believes that Djokovic was lucky to have such a strong competition with Federer and Nadal to help him continue to improve.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a winner. He\u2019s the guy who is self-motivating,\u201d Ivanisevic – himself a former Wimbledon champion – said during the Entrepreneurial Attitude conference. \u201cHe had luck to have guys like Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer come before him, so they pushed each other, but he\u2019s a born winner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> Holger Rune teases Boris Becker rumours as Dane lifts lid on ‘tips’ from coach[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n The former world No 2 still knew that Djokovic would have been able to achieve greatness without the rivalry, however, as he added: \u201cFor him, when you tell him he cannot do something, it\u2019s even worse. Then he\u2019s going to show you that he can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Competing against Federer, Nadal and their past records has paid off for Djokovic as the 36-year-old has come from behind to surpass them. It was Federer who first broke the men\u2019s singles Grand Slam record when he won his 15th in 2009 and he went on to win 20 across his career.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Nadal then moved the goalposts when he picked up his 22nd Major crown and Djokovic was able to overtake him this year. He became the first man in history to win a 23rd Grand Slam trophy at the French Open and later won his 24th at the US Open – standing alone in the Open Era and tying Margaret Court\u2019s all-time record.<\/p>\n Djokovic also has the most all-time weeks at No 1 in the world with 395 and counting – and the figure will continue to increase as he currently sits atop the rankings. With the Serb only getting greater as he gets older, Ivanisevic knows that he\u2019s also lucky to get to work with the 96-time title winner. \u201cI am happy to train a genius, the best tennis player of all time and one of the best athletes in general,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/5019502.jpg?r=1697637793344\")
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