Andy Murray won three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic gold medals, and reached No. 1 in the world – all during the Big Three era. The Brit spent years battling it out with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the biggest stages in tennis. But he was never truly able to become “friends” with his rivals, even though they had a good relationship.
Murray, Federer and Nadal have all since retired from professional tennis, and the two-time Wimbledon champion is now keen to spend more time with them. Murray has already grown closer to Djokovic in retirement, spending six months coaching his old rival earlier this year, and he’s now invited his former foes to do something “socially”.
The former world No. 1 appeared on Stephen Hendry’s Cue Tips – the seven-time snooker world champion’s YouTube show – where he opened up on his relationship with the Big Three.
While Murray was never able to be close with the multi-Grand Slam champions, he still enjoyed practising with them. But it was a no-go for Swiss star Federer. “I would practice with them, I’d practice with Djokovic and Nadal,” Murray explained.
“When I first started, I would practice with Federer. But after a year or two, he stopped, he wouldn’t practice with me anymore. He never practised with Djokovic or Nadal, I think because he considered them to be a competitor.
“I like practising with them just because it gave me the chance to see where my game was at. I wouldn’t practice with them a couple of days before a big match, but a couple weeks out from a major tournament, then I would practice with those guys.”
They didn’t take that relationship off the practice court, however, as Murray found it difficult to form a friendship with players he competed against at the very top of the game.
The three-time Major champion added: “I was never going for dinner with them. Whereas now I’d love to do that, see them a few times socially. Generally, if I’m socialising with friends and family, you want to feel like you can tell them if you’re struggling with something. But if you’re competing against them, you wouldn’t do it.”
Murray isn’t the only one who seems keen for a catch-up. Djokovic – the last man standing on tour from their cohort – has often shared his wish to have a drink with Federer and Nadal, reflecting on their years of competition.
“I would like to [reflect on my career], but I think that’s going to come probably when I set the racket aside and I sip a margarita on the beach with Federer and Nadal and just reflect on our rivalry and everything,” the 24-time Grand Slam winner said earlier this year.