By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, June 13, 2025
Photograph credit score: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Getty
Huge 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 together with his fellow Huge 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 at all times gotten alongside higher with King of Clay Rafael Nadal than with Roger Federer. Djokovic mentioned from his perspective their historic battles have been skilled challenges—not private grudges.
“Simply because somebody is my largest rival doesn’t suggest 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 gained…
“I’ve by no means mentioned a single unhealthy phrase about them and by no means will. I seemed as much as them and nonetheless do, however I’ve at all times gotten alongside higher with Nadal.”
Conceding “I used to be by no means as liked as Federer and Nadal”, Djokovic mentioned some followers considered 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 a different 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 imagined to be there. I used to be the little man, the third man who got here alongside and mentioned: ‘I’ll be No 1’. Many individuals did not like that.”
