Australian Open 2024 men’s double champion and World No.1 Rohan Bopanna praised Roger Federer for his amicable behaviour off the court on the latest episode of The Other Side Podcast. He said the Swiss icon was friendly with everyone, contrary to what Novak Djokovic had said a few days ago.
Bopanna made headlines after becoming the oldest man to ascend to World No.1 in doubles. He won the 2024 Australian Open men’s doubles titles just two months before his 44th birthday.
Speaking on The Other Side podcast, Bopanna said Federer not only changed tennis on the court but also outside it. He said the retired World No.1 talked with everybody. Despite his stature as a legend of the sport, he behaved cordially with his peers everywhere.
“I think how he changed the sport, not only on the court but off the court as well. He was somebody who communicated with all the players and understood them. Even though he was such a great champion, no matter where he met some players, he was always amazing.”
The Indian star reminisced about being backstage with Roger Federer at Wimbledon once, where they played cricket. He said they crossed paths thrice in the locker room at the tournament since they had games at similar times, and the 20-time Grand Slam champion was always friendly.
“There were many times where we were at Wimbledon in the locker room, you know, Roger and I used to play cricket. I think there were three times we were at the warm-up area with a similar juncture because we were playing matches which were similar times on different courts, and we happened to be there.”
What Novak Djokovic said about Roger Federer not being ‘communicative’ and their relationship
Bopanna’s profile of Federer is in contrast to what Djokovic had experienced. The World No.1 previously revealed he was not friends with his Big 3 contemporaries, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He said he never developed a close bond with them since they were professional opponents.
Recently, Novak Djokovic implied the duo were not as communicative and friendly as his current rivals from the newer generation (via Tennis365). He said he was on good terms with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner. He claimed he had a better relationship with the younger players than he did with ‘Fedal‘.
“I am really enjoying the rivalries I have with all those guys. Alcaraz, Medvedev, Sinner, everybody near the top I get along with quite nicely. If I were to compare my relationship with them to the one I had with Federer and Nadal, the relationship with my younger fellow players is much better and nicer. I enjoy it.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion said the current generation is more open and communicative.
“I don’t know, it’s just more open; the younger guys are more communicative. We just get along better; that’s it.”
Djokovic has made no secret of the fact that he is not close with Federer or Nadal outside the court. However, in his previous interview, he kept the door open for a possible friendship to blossom after all of them had retired and no longer remained competitors.
