Novak Djokovic is, by the numbers, one of the best tennis players in the modern era. He has spent the most weeks — 428 — ranked as the world’s No. 1 player. He holds a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, and he also has an Olympic gold medal. Djokovic emerged onto the tennis scene during the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal era and won his first Slam in 2008 at the Australian Open when he defeated Federer. Suddenly, there was a new player in the race. He defeated Nadal in 2011 and reached No. 1 for the first time after winning Wimbledon that year. The “Big Three,” as they became known, dominated tennis, racing for majors and titles.
As Djokovic continues to play and remain a force in the sport, one question surrounds him: When will he retire? “The Wolf in Winter,” directed by Jason Hehir, details Djokovic’s time to the very top of tennis. Now streaming on Prime Video, Djokovic is front and center. Hehir took time to reflect on why Djokovic is one of the greatest players and how he captured the tennis star behind-the-scenes in an attempt to humanize him.
What made you want to tell Novak’s story?
As a huge sports fan, I knew that he was one of the most compelling characters in sports. I knew that he was controversial, outspoken, and polarizing. All of those things check the boxes for what makes an interesting documentary and a deep-dive character study. Novak is still dominating just about everybody — except for a couple of tennis players — at age 39, so I was really interested to see how he grappled with the notion that you can’t be the best dad in the world and the best tennis player in the world at the same time.
