The 2023 Shanghai Masters sorely missed Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The former opted to skip the event, while the latter last played in the tournament in 2019 before retiring in 2022. Not only have fans missed seeing the duo on court, but also their friendly banter off it. An Instagram post from 2019 of Federer teasing Djokovic about a pizza resurfaced recently.
After a few frosty years of being only rivals, the relationship between Djokovic and Federer warmed up, and now, they are better friends. The upturn perhaps started after the 2018 Laver Cup, the first time the duo played on the same team. Their camaraderie was evident when the Swiss legend displayed his sense of humour to pull Djokovic’s leg the following year.
Roger Federer had a special pizza to show to Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer is a passionate foodie, frequently talking about his love for food and his favourite restaurants. A fan of food from various cultures across the globe, one of his go-to cheat meals is pizza. He self-admittedly indulges in pizzas occasionally alongside other Swiss delicacies like chocolate and fondue.
At the 2019 Shanghai Masters, the restaurant in the players’ lounge had an exclusive pizza menu. Roger Federer found a pizza named ‘Nole’, perhaps based on Djokovic’s nickname, and posted a photo with the menu, tagging the Serb in the caption. He asked his followers which pizza had the best name, saying the ATP 1000 tournament starts only when the ‘pizza competition’ starts.
“Shanghai only starts when the 🍕competition is in full swing💥 which pizza has the best name?😉 @djokernole“
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Djokovic is renowned for following a strict diet. He follows a plant-based gluten-free meal plan to maintain utmost fitness and an excellent physical condition. The ‘Nole’ pizza, accordingly, was also gluten-free but not completely plant-based or vegan. Tennis fans reacted to Federer’s post and the pizza named after Djokovic in the comments section.
Djokovic’s family used to own a pizza parlour in Serbia before it shut down due to the constant warring in the 1990s. Despite enjoying the dish during his early days, the 24-time Grand Slam winner apparently gave it up to pursue a gluten-free and plant-based diet. Djokovic does not prefer using the term ‘vegan’ despite following a very similar lifestyle. He has been on this strict regime for over a decade which led to a turnaround in his performance, dominating tennis since the early 2010s.
The odd Federer-Djokovic bond
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic got off on the wrong foot. Back in 2009, when the latter was yet to get on his famously strict diet, Federer slammed him for lacking fitness. He was not happy with the Serb pulling out midway from his 2009 Australian Open quarter-final because of fitness issues.
The Swiss maestro said that if a player is not fit, he should not play rather than show up and withdraw midway (via ESPN). After losing the 2011 US Open semi-finals to Novak Djokovic despite having two match points, Roger Federer uncharacteristically took digs at the winner. Letting his frustration out, he called the win ‘lucky’. Djokovic later said it was impossible for him to be friends with Federer because they were rivals.
However, as time went by, the duo grew closer. Despite their past disagreements, they have grown to mutually respect and admire each other. Their friendship was evident at the 2022 Laver Cup, as Novak Djokovic was present to see his dear rival Roger Federer say a teary goodbye to tennis.
