Novak Djokovic just opened up about something pretty fascinating – how his relationships with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer completely changed over the years.
And it wasn’t always friendly.
Despite being only a year younger than Nadal, the Spanish champion was already a Grand Slam winner when Djokovic burst onto the scene. Federer was six years older and basically owned men’s tennis at the time.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic | 38 | 8,360 | 18 - 6 |
By the end of 2010, the numbers told the whole story.
Djokovic had just one Grand Slam – his 2008 Australian Open win. Meanwhile, Federer sat at 16 majors (a record back then) and Nadal had nine.
But here’s the thing that made Djokovic different – that huge deficit never shook his confidence. He openly believed he’d eventually pass both of them.
Federer didn’t like the young Serbian’s attitude. Nadal wasn’t exactly warm either.
The Cold Shoulder Years
In a recent interview with former footballer Slaven Bilic, Djokovic got pretty honest about those early dynamics. He insisted his respect for them never wavered, even when they clearly weren’t his biggest fans.
"My behavior towards them never changed. The situation changed because they changed their attitude towards me. I always tried to be, how to say it… I admired them. And I still consider them as those who paved the way for me."
Djokovic accepted the coldness for years. He knew Federer and Nadal (to a lesser extent) were keeping their distance, and he just rolled with it.
"From the moment I felt that coldness and distance on his part, I said to myself: ‘Alright, no problem.’ Then, when they approached me, I welcomed them with open arms."
Pretty mature approach, honestly.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion always felt he understood Nadal better than Federer, though. Age probably had something to do with it.
"I always had the impression of understanding him better. We are almost the same age, so maybe that’s why."
Things got noticeably warmer after Federer and Nadal retired. Federer has even admitted he regrets not being more respectful when Djokovic was coming up.
The Practice Partner Problem
Want to know something interesting about how different things were back then?
Top players hitting together is pretty common now. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner – the guys dominating men’s tennis since early 2024 – practice with each other all the time.
But Andy Murray recently revealed something that shows just how different the Big Three era was.
Federer basically refused to practice with his main rivals because he saw them as competitors first and foremost.
The Swiss legend used to occasionally train with Murray, but that stopped when the Brit started seriously challenging for Grand Slams. Federer’s approach was pretty typical for that era – keep your distance from the guys you’re trying to beat.
Murray briefly coached Djokovic earlier this year, starting from January. They had a decent run at the 2025 Australian Open, but both men eventually decided it wasn’t clicking and parted ways during the clay season.
It’s pretty amazing how much the sport’s culture has shifted. These days, the top players seem more willing to help each other improve, even knowing they’ll face off in the biggest matches.
Back then? It was every man for himself.
