Novak Djokovic’s new documentary, The Wolf in Winter, was released on Prime Video on August 20 and quickly attracted attention because of how personal the story is.
The film goes through his childhood in Serbia, sacrifices made by his family, his rise to the top and some of the most difficult moments of his career.
One thing, however, has surprised many fans. Roger Federer does not appear as an interview subject at all, while Rafael Nadal is seen only briefly.
That feels unusual considering how much both men were part of Djokovic’s journey. The Serbian played Nadal 60 times and finished their rivalry with a 31-29 record. He also met Federer 50 times, winning 27. For more than a decade, the three were constantly compared and pushed each other at the biggest tournaments.
The documentary even explains how Djokovic entered a sport already fascinated by the Federer-Nadal rivalry. Still, the two men who helped define that era are not major voices in the film.
Nadal does appear and speaks about how demanding it was to face Djokovic. The Spaniard said playing him was “difficult” and “tense,” adding that he felt he needed to be at 100 percent just to have a chance. He pointed out that even that was often not enough.
Why Federer may be missing from Djokovic’s documentary
Federer’s absence is much harder to explain because there has been no official statement saying why he is not part of the film.
Serbian outlet Mondo pointed out that one possibility could be Federer’s many commercial and sponsorship commitments, which can make appearances in outside productions more complicated. The publication also stressed that there is no confirmation that Federer was even asked to take part.
That means it would be wrong to say that the Swiss great refused Djokovic or rejected the project.
Another explanation perhaps makes more sense when looking at the documentary as a whole. Jason Hehir, who also directed The Last Dance about Michael Jordan, appears much more interested in Djokovic himself than in producing another history of the Big Three.
The film spends a lot of time on his personality, family, childhood and the events that shaped how he sees the world. His rivalry with Federer and Nadal is part of that story, although it is not the main story.
That choice becomes more noticeable when compared with Federer: Twelve Final Days. Djokovic and Nadal both appeared in Federer’s retirement documentary, alongside Andy Murray. Nadal’s recent Netflix documentary also used his rivalries with Federer and Djokovic to explain parts of his career.
That may help explain why the documentary feels different from a normal career recap. It is less interested in listing every famous match or asking every major rival to explain Djokovic’s greatness.
Instead, Hehir spends more time asking why Novak still needs competition, why criticism matters to him and why he continues to play when he has already won almost everything available in tennis.
Federer’s absence therefore remains a question rather than something with a confirmed answer. Nadal’s short appearance also shows that the filmmakers were willing to limit even the biggest names if their comments did not fit the story they wanted to tell.
Some fans will feel that it is strange to tell Djokovic’s story with so little Federer and Nadal. Others may understand why Hehir made that choice.
Djokovic himself appears more interested in that reaction than in trying to make the film please everyone. For a documentary built around how he deals with doubt, criticism and being seen differently by different people, that feels like a more revealing ending than another long chapter about his rivals.