By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, January 9, 2025
Picture credit score: Corleve/Mark Peterson
Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic has seen all of it in his storied profession.
Few sights have crashed the Serbian celebrity’s aggressive psyche fairly just like the Bull rush reverberating all through the locker room.
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In a brand new GQ cover story Q&A, Djokovic reveals one man “for sure” is his most intimidating opponent.
Rafael Nadal.
Twenty-four time Grand Slam champion Djokovic mentioned Nadal was infamous for unleashing intimidating physicality within the locker room earlier than the match even started.
“Nadal was probably the most intimidating, for sure,” Djokovic advised GQ’s Daniel Riley. “Roger additionally had an enormous aura, in fact. And earlier than you performed in opposition to him, you felt it. However he did it with extra grace, I suppose.
“I imply Nadal, as a result of all of us share locker rooms, so that you see the gamers warming up and so forth. Earlier than enjoying in opposition to him, you already felt it… He desires to make his presence felt. You understand? Bodily.”
Collectively, Djokovic and Nadal created probably the most prolific rivalry in ATP historical past assembly 60 instances. Djokovic holds a 31 to 29 edge over Nadal of their head-to-head historical past, however says the person from Mallorca despatched a pre-match message of depth each time they performed.
“[Nadal is showing] I am leaping. I am prepared for a battle,” Djokovic mentioned. “I’ll be bodily with you from the start. From the primary second, you are going to hear my grunts. That is very intimidating for lots of gamers.”
The proprietor of 99 profession titles, Djokovic dominated their hard-court head-to-head conferences during the last half of their careers. Djokovic gained 9 straight matches and 19-set consecutive units vs. Nadal on laborious courts after dropping to the left-hander on the 2013 US Open.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, who owns a 27-23 lifetime file in opposition to Roger Federer, mentioned initially he felt the long-lasting champions shunned him a bit as a result of he was so candid about his Grand Slam objectives.
Conceding his relationship with is fellow Large 3 champions has been “up and down,” Djokovic, now coached by former rival Andy Murray, says he goals of in the future sitting down for drinks with Nadal and Federer and opening up with one another truthfully on their rivalry.
“It is type of a relationship with ups and downs, to be trustworthy. I all the time attempt to be respectful and pleasant with them off the court docket,” Djokovic advised GQ. “However at first I did not have that acceptance, as a result of I entered the court docket saying and displaying that I used to be assured that I needed to win. And I do not assume they appreciated that very a lot at first.
“I might prefer to have a drink or two with them and speak overtly in regards to the issues that hassle them about me. Or vice versa, no matter.
“As an instance all of it. And I believe I might like to be taught from them and perceive what they have been occupied with, how they dealt with sure conditions on the court docket, how they carried the strain of the world after they have been on the high.”
