"I don't have better relation with Novak than with Roger" - When Rafael Nadal denied going out with Novak Djokovic after the Serb beat Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are arguably the three greatest tennis players of all time and have memerized spectators through their quality and consistency over the years.
The three have been fierce rivals but there has also been huge mutual respect among them. Nadal has often shown a lot of respect towards Djokovic but he has a very close friendship with Federer.
The Spaniard claimed back in 2007 that he had a better relationship with Federer than with Djokovic.
This was during the year-end championships in Shanghai when Nadal was asked to comment on Novak Djokovic stating that he hung out with the Spaniard in Montreal following his win over Roger Federer in the final of the Rogers Cup (now known as the National Bank Open).
Nadal said that he did not go out with Djokovic and that their meeting was a coincidence since they were at the same restaurant. The Spaniard claimed that he invited the Serb for a drink to congratulate him on his triumph. Nadal also said that he did not have a better relationship with Djokovic than he did with Federer.
"That's not true. That's not true. In Montréal, was a coincidence we were in the same restaurant. I invite him a drink for congratulate him. But that's enough, no? I didn't go out with him, no?" Nadal said.
"Well, I don't have better relation with Novak than with Roger. I can celebrate nothing for the win of Novak. He's another player. He's a nice guy. Well, but, I didn't go out never with him yet. That's the true. I don't know in the future," he added.
Rafael Nadal leads in the head-to-head against Roger Federer but trails against Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal locked horns with Roger Federer on 40 occasions while facing Novak Djokovic 59 times.
Nadal leads 24-16 in the head-to-head against Federer. The two have played some titanic battles over the years, including nine Grand Slam finals, with the Spaniard winning six of those while the Swiss winning three.
Nadal won 14 out of 16 matches between the two on clay courts, while Federer leads on hard (11-9) and grass courts (3-1). The last meeting between the two came in the semifinals of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, with the Swiss winning 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have faced each other 59 times so far, with the Serb currently leading 30-29 in the head-to-head. The two locked horns in nine Grand Slam finals, with the Spaniard winning five and the Serb winning the other four, including the 2012 Australian Open title clash, which went on for 5 hours and 53 minutes.
Nadal has beaten Djokovic in 20 out of 28 matches between the two on clay courts while the latter won 20 out of 27 matches on hard. The two faced each other on grass on four occasions, with two wins each.
The most recent encounter between the two came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, with Nadal winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).