Novak Djokovic has admitted that he felt ‘coldness and distance’ from Roger Federer at the height of their rivalry. The two players faced each other 50 times, with Djokovic claiming 27 victories and Federer winning the other 23 matches. They had plenty of respect for each other on the court but things weren’t always rosy behind the scenes.
The pair were never friends and Djokovic has revealed that he got along better with Rafael Nadal when all three players were active. The veteran Serb recently reflected on his dynamic with his ‘Big Three’ rivals in an interview with former West Ham manager Slaven Bilic. During their conversation, he accused Federer of showing ‘coldness and distance’ towards him at times.
“My attitude towards them in that sense never changed,” said Djokovic. “The situation changed because their attitude towards me changed. I always tried to be, how should I put it… I looked up to them.
“And I still look at them as people who paved the way for me, especially Federer who is six years older than me. The moment I felt that coldness and distance from him, I said: ‘Alright, no problem’.
“And the moment they approached me, I opened my arms and said: ‘Okay’. Now they’ve both retired. With Nadal, I always kind of understood him better. We’re about the same age, so maybe that’s why.”
It comes a year after Djokovic insisted that he has never been friends with Federer or Nadal, with the intense nature of their rivalry making it impossible to maintain a personal relationship.
“For many years, I saw them more often than my mother,” he told Argentinian newspaper La Nacion. “We weren’t close friends, but I can say that we got to know each other well.
“These rivalries bring millions of people to the sport and connect people in a way that is eternal. Eternal because even those who are not tennis fans might be fans of one of us. I think everyone is a fan of our matches, it’s something that will last for generations.
“I’m very proud of the experience of having played more than 60 matches with Rafa and I don’t know, about 50 with Roger. It’s incredible. I don’t know if there is any rivalry with as many matches as I had with Nadal, for example.”
In spite of his differences with Federer over the years, Djokovic admitted that he was saddened by the Swiss legend’s decision to retire from tennis in 2022.
“Some people said I was going to be devastated [when Roger retired], but I didn’t believe them,” added Djokovic. “But when I was there and when I saw that he was actually withdrawing, I was like: ‘Wow, this affects me too’.”