The tennis legend Novak Djokovic wishes he got to play against but never did, ‘he was my idol’

Novak Djokovic has enjoyed a simply phenomenal career, in which he has reached heights that no other player has.

Former ATP number one Djokovic tops the all-time men’s Grand Slam list with 24 titles, and remains in search of a record 25th.

He will have to wait until next season for another chance at making history, with the Serbian currently level with Margaret Court in the all-time list.

Djokovic isn’t planning on retiring right now, and has clearly prioritised that record in the latter stages of his career.

Not hitting that target may turn out to be his only career regret, with the legend having achieved everything else there is to achieve.

Novak Djokovic never got to play against his ‘idol’ Pete Sampras
Back at a press conference in 2018, however, Djokovic did express disappointment about one aspect of his career, but ultimately it was out of his hands.

He said: “I never played with Pete Sampras. That was my wish, because he was my idol when I was growing up in tennis.

Also Andre Agassi. I got to play Andre also in an exhibition match on grass before Wimbledon a few years ago.

“[Marat] Safin, for example. He was one of the players that I liked watching. Then when I got to play him, I think it was the first Grand Slam match for me in Australian Open when I qualified. I got three games in three sets, but still it was quite a nice experience for me. I know how it feels.”

Given that their careers on the ATP Tour didn’t overlap, Djokovic never managed to go head-to-head with Sampras, but they did get to play out an exhibition match at Indian Wells in 2019.