By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, June 13, 2025
Picture credit score: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty
Massive 4 champions stood shoulder to shoulder in a poignant and highly effective Roland Garros tribute ceremony for Rafa Nadal final month.
Now, Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic is opening the curtain on his relationship along with his fellow Massive 4 champions.
In a brand new interview with Slavena Bilića, 24-time main champion Djokovic says whereas he respects all of his rivals, he is all the time gotten alongside higher with King of Clay Rafael Nadal than with Roger Federer. Djokovic mentioned from his perspective their historic battles had been skilled challenges—not private grudges.
“Simply because somebody is my greatest rival does not imply I want them hurt, hate them, or need to do anything on the courtroom to defeat them,” Djokovic mentioned. “We fought for the win, and the higher participant received…
“I’ve by no means mentioned a single unhealthy phrase about them and by no means will. I regarded as much as them and nonetheless do, however I’ve all the time gotten alongside higher with Nadal.”
Conceding “I used to be by no means as liked as Federer and Nadal”, Djokovic mentioned some followers seen him as an intruder on the Roger-Rafa rivalry and mentioned fan antipathy made him really feel “like an undesirable youngster.”
“I acted and nonetheless felt like an undesirable youngster,” mentioned Djokovic. “I requested myself why that was. It damage me.
“Then I assumed the followers would settle for me if I acted in another way, however that wasn’t the case both.
“I used to be by no means as liked as Federer and Nadal as a result of I wasn’t purported to be there. I used to be the little man, the third man who got here alongside and mentioned: ‘I will be No 1’. Many individuals did not like that.”
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