Right about the time the Australian Open 2024 was going on, Novak Djokovic dropped a bombshell interview. In there, he revealed how and why Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have never been friends with him. Novak Djokovic also mentioned that he is closer now with the younger lot of players than he ever was with either of the Big Three counterparts. After Rafael Nadal’s recent interview, Djokovic’s claims now sound more correct.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal just proved that Novak Djokovic is perhaps accurate about why the Big Three are different from the current crop of players. Djokovic believes that he is closer with players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, etc since they are more communicative and expressive with each other. This is despite the fact that Djokovic is more than 10 years older than every single one of those players. Alcaraz, Sinner, and Zverev are 20, 22, and 26 years old respectively.
It could be the advent of social media as well, where people are constantly in touch with each other. Such was not the case when Djokovic first started and developed a rivalry with Federer and Nadal.
When Novak Djokovic started there was the Big Two, before the Big Three ever became a thing. Djokovic wasn’t easily welcomed, and he has spoken about this at length more than a few times. Federer didn’t like him at all when they started. He even openly criticized him after their 2006 Davis Cup clash, which started their everlasting rivalry. Djokovic wasn’t particularly close with Nadal either, since he felt that both of them united against him.
So, the only natural thing to assume was Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have grown closer to each other. But that’s not completely the case either, as was evident after Rafael Nadal’s most recent interview. The Spaniard explained that he has a lot of admiration for Federer and will always have but does not consider him a ‘friend’. This just proves that friendship, getting along, and overall camaraderie are far more prevalent now than it was before.
Why weren’t Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Is it simply easier to be friends now than it was before? That shouldn’t generally be the case, but more comparisons between the two generations indicate that point. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, for example, trained together at the former’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy in Spain back in December 2023 during the off-season. The two players knew each other before they turned professionals too, perhaps making the relation a lot smoother. This is even as it is believed that Alcaraz vs Sinner will be the next biggest rivalry in tennis once Djokovic and Nadal retire.
When it comes to the Big Three, it could also be the bubbling rivalry between them which led to insecurities and perhaps lack of trust in opening up with each other in order to not be found out. In many other fields as well, top performers might not be close at all off their professional setups even if they work with or against each other.
On top of that, each of their personalities clash with one another. While Roger Federer seems to be more elegant with a calm demeanor, Djokovic is renowned for having fun with pranks up his sleeve and on multiple occasions getting into a rift with fans and his opponents. Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, is a very private person off the court, who is likeable for being humble and dedicated to his craft. His lack of English-speaking skills as compared to Federer and Djokovic also do not help his case, as Nadal himself admitted last year that he does not have friends on the ATP Tour now.
All of these may be reason enough for their non-friendly relations. But they have always had great admiration and respect for each other and continue to have it. Rafael Nadal even called Novak Djokovic the greatest tennis player of all time in his recent interview.
