Novak Djokovic is adamant that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer “weren’t friends.”
The romance ended there for tennis legend Novak Djokovic, who was involved in one of the biggest rivalries in sports history.
The harsh assertion that Novak Djokovic, a Serb superstar, has never been pals with Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer has been reaffirmed. Despite having the most intense three-way competition in tennis history, the three have always seemed to get along well.
Or at least from the outside based on Djokovic’s latest comments, which suggest any fealty may not quite have been reciprocated. For years, the three icons of the sport have rotated Grand Slam honours while promoting a healthy sense of competition among one another, but it seems that’s where the relationship ended as far as Djokovic is concerned.
Though the 37-year-old has consistently claimed that he was never close to them personally, he has stated that he feels “very proud” and “totally honoured” to have contributed to the holy trinity of modern tennis. He did, however, also mention how Federer and Nadal first stood in his way of winning more major championships early in his career, and it seems that conflict may have prevented him from forging a genuine bond with either player.
He told the Argentine newspaper La Nacion, “I saw them more often than my mother for many years.” “I can say that we became well acquainted, even though we weren’t best friends.
It’s something that will endure for generations. “I’m very proud of the experience of having played more than 60 matches with Rafa and I don’t know, about 50 with Roger. It’s incredible. I don’t know if there is any rivalry with as many matches as I had with Nadal, for example.” Djokovic also referred to the three years between his first and second major titles (2008 and 2011) as “fundamental” for his development. “These rivalries bring millions of people to the sport and connect people in a way that is eternal.”