Novak Djokovic claims friendship with arch-rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is "impossible"

Novak Djokovic recently shed light on his off-court relationship with his arch-rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Commonly dubbed the Big-3, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have enjoyed a storied rivalry over the last two decades. The trio has truly dominated men's tennis, amassing a whopping 64 Grand Slam titles between them. Additionally, they have collectively held the World No. 1 ranking for 905 weeks, which is equivalent to 17 years.

On Monday, May 15, following his win over Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Italian Open, Djokovic commented on his relationship with Federer. The Serb stated that while they have never been friends due to their intense rivalry, they have also never been enemies.

"We have never been friends, between rivals it is not possible, but we have never been enemies. I've always had respect for Roger," he said in an interview with Italian publication Corriere della Sera.

Djokovic expressed a similar sentiment regarding his relationship with Nadal. He stated that although they have spent time together off the court in the past, friendship between rivals like themselves is "impossible."

"At first we went to dinner together, but even with him friendship is impossible. I have always respected and admired him," Djokovic said.

When asked about his most memorable clashes against his arch-rivals, the 22-time Grand Slam champion called the 2019 Wimbledon final his most memorable match against Federer. On the other hand, he named the 2012 Australian Open final as his most memorable clash with Nadal.

"The 2019 Wimbledon one when I canceled two match points from Roger. The other was the 2012 battle in Australia with Nadal, a physical battle which lasted almost six hours," he said.

---

When I played against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal the crowd was against me: Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at Laver Cup 2022

Novak Djokovic also reflected on his experience of playing against hostile crowds whenever he took on fan favorites Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He claimed that he needed to cultivate mental resilience to overcome the challenge.

"In most touraments when I played against Federer and against Nadal, the crowd was against me. I said to myself 'you have to develop the strength inside your head otherwise you will never win.' But it's not an easy thing to transform cheering against into energy. It doesn't always work. As Michael Jordan said, 'I failed, I failed, I failed and I won'," he said.

Djokovic leads 27-23 in his head-to-head against Federer. Meanwhile, his record against Nadal stands at 30-29 in his favor.