Roger Federer just gave his first real answer about whether he’d actually sit down for drinks with Novak Djokovic. And honestly, his response shows just how much time can change everything.
The two tennis legends didn’t exactly start off as buddies. When Djokovic burst onto the scene as this cocky young player, Federer was already ruling the sport.
Federer really didn’t like the Serbian’s attitude back then. That created some serious distance between them during those early rivalry years.
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Djokovic’s been pretty open about this whole thing. He says the cold shoulder came entirely from Federer’s side, not his. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has even said his relationship with Nadal was always way better, even though they weren’t really friends either.
Things got better toward the end
But something shifted in Federer’s final years on tour. The tension started melting away.
You could see it when Djokovic showed up at Federer’s farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup. That meant something.
Earlier this year, Djokovic mentioned he’d love to sit down with both Federer and Rafael Nadal for drinks. Just three guys looking back on how they totally dominated men’s tennis for over a decade and took the sport to incredible new heights.
Well, Federer just got elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Pretty amazing stuff, though not exactly shocking given everything he accomplished and his status as tennis’s biggest global superstar ever.
“Sure, I’m up for it”
When a Swiss newspaper asked Federer about Djokovic’s drinks idea, he didn’t hesitate.
"Sure. Rivalries like that create a huge bond. I see it very differently today than before, with much more distance. Novak doesn’t know what that’s like yet. Rafa is slowly getting there. When you’re still playing, you can’t think about it the way I do today."
That’s pretty telling, right?
"The more time passes, the less you identify yourself as an individual player and the more you see the big picture. What’s funny is: Someone might have taken something totally personally—and you can’t even remember it anymore. I’m definitely up for sitting down together and talking about the good old days."
"The good old days." That’s what Federer called his rivalry with Djokovic.
Think about that for a second. This is the same guy who couldn’t stand Novak’s attitude for years.
If these three actually got together for drinks, it would break the internet. That trio introduced millions of fans to tennis through their epic matches. They basically grew the sport into what it is today.
Djokovic is still grinding it out
Meanwhile, Djokovic is still playing despite some pretty tough challenges. He admitted recently that a big part of him left the sport when his rivals started retiring.
Nadal was the latest to hang it up at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
Djokovic hasn’t won a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have basically taken over the sport. He’s praised both guys plenty of times, though he’s still not happy about how certain aspects of Sinner’s doping case were handled.
But here’s the thing – reaching four Major semifinals at 38 years old is absolutely phenomenal.
The guy deserves massive credit for keep fighting and playing at this level despite dealing with more physical issues this year. That’s just not normal for someone his age in professional tennis.
Who knows? Maybe that drinks session will actually happen once Djokovic finally decides to retire. It would be pretty amazing to hear what those three have to say about their incredible era.
