In the mid-2010s, Novak Djokovic was truly on ‘Cloud 9’ and arguably the best tennis player in the world by far. Specifically in 2014, Djokovic won the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells + Miami Open) and had a golden opportunity to win the Monte Carlo Masters as well. But his roadblock was one of his all-time great rivals – Roger Federer. The Serb lost the semi-final match and after the match, he did not exactly agree that Federer was the better player on the day. Perhaps, this fueled their rivalry even more, which was already at its peak then.
Novak Djokovic was largely expected to win. But Roger Federer defied many expectations to play well in a match where his rival had no answers. Djokovic was visibly upset after the loss and it resulted in a sour moment of sorts in the press conference that followed. Djokovic was quoted as saying back then after the match –
“It’s unfortunate that when you’re playing at this level against Roger, big tournament, that you are not able to play your game because something else is taking away all your energy and effort. This injury has been present for last 10 days, and I tried not to think or talk about it. I did everything I could really, I was on the medications every day, I was doing different therapies, injections,” sad Djokovic at the press conference.
He continued, “I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know. It’s really not in my hands anymore. I’m going to rest and see when it can heal 100 percent, then I will be back on the court.”
Djokovic may not have directly commented on Federer or thrown shade at him. But true sports enthusiasts would know that to not praise one’s opponent after a loss, and instead placing the blame on his injuries was perhaps an act borne out of bitterness, heartbreak, or just general frustration.
At the time, Djokovic was playing tough competitive matches against other players like Rafael Nadal, to whom he lost the 2014 French Open, Stan Wawrinka, to whom he lost the Australian Open, and Andy Murray, to whom he lost the 2013 Wimbledon final. Yet, his rivalry with Federer had never faded away one bit.
Unsurprisingly to Djokovic’s merit, he achieved the same historic first the very next year in 2015.
Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer, Monte Carlo Masters 2014
About the match itself, it was Djokovic’s and Federer’s 34th meeting against each other. The previous two times they met at the Monte Carlo Masters, Federer defeated Djokovic. This time too it was no different, despite Djokovic being in prime form. Federer was a wildcard entrant, despite being the 4th-seeded player in the tournament.
The first set started intensely, with each player winning points till the very end. In the end, Federer won 7-5.
The next set was a bigger shock for Djokovic and his fans. The Swiss great won the set 6-2 and beat Djokovic in straight sets. Djokovic went on to never defeat Federer in the Monte Carlo Masters, although he came close once.
