"Making sure everyone knows he's not friends with Federer, Nadal": Fans react to Novak Djokovic having 'better' relationship with Carlos Alcaraz & co.
Novak Djokovic has shed light on his relationship with the current crop of players, like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev, and its contrast to the one he had with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. That sparked a discussion among tennis fans.
Djokovic established captivating tennis rivalries with Federer and Nadal, collectively dominating the sport as the 'Big 3.' While Federer and Nadal have developed a close friendship off the court as well, the Serb recently disclosed that he had a "better" bond with the younger players today.
Speaking to Serbian reporters during the 2024 Australian Open, Djokovic said that he was enjoying his rivalries with Alcaraz, Medvedev and Sinner, revealing that he got along better with them compared to Federer and Nadal.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion also divulged that he has a more open equation with the younger players as they were more communicative.
"Jokes aside, I am really enjoying the rivalries I have with all those guys. Alcaraz, Medvedev, Sinner, everybody near the top I get along with quite nicely. If I were to compare my relationship with them to the one I had with Federer and Nadal, the relationship with my younger fellow players is much better, nicer. I enjoy it," he said.
"I don’t know, it’s just more open, the younger guys are more communicative. We just get along better, that’s it," he added.
Novak Djokovic's comments piqued the interest of tennis fans, one of whom claimed that the Serb appeared deliberate in making it known that he wasn't friends with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
"Djokovic has really been going out of his way to make sure everyone knows that he is NOT friends with Federer and Nadal," the fan posted.
Meanwhile, other fans suggested that it's likely easier for the Serb to be friends with the younger players as opposed to his arch-rivals because he wasn't being consistently challenged by the younger generation.
"It would make sense to get along with people you almost always beat and who idolize and worship you and watched you growing up vs your peers who you were all going toe to toe with in your respective primes," a fan commented.
"Obvious. He has 24 majors. Rest of them have about 3 in total. So, he can look at them in a different way," another fan chimed in.
Here are a few more reactions from fans on Reddit:
Novak Djokovic: "Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of my biggest rivals, it's impossible for me to play Carlos Alcaraz 60 times"
During the press conference, Novak Djokovic also emphasized that his rivalries with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would always reign supreme, given how many times they faced each other.
The Serb enjoys a 27-23 lead in his head-to-head against Federer and a 30-29 winning record against Nadal. The 24-time Grand Slam champion pointed out that he cannot develop a similarly storied rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz.
"Yes, no particular regret or it would (mean something to me) to finish alongside Nadal. They are two of my biggest rivals – especially Nadal, as I’ve said numerous times – and that’s never going to change," he said.
"The amount of energy spent on our rivalry during all these years, how many times we played each other (Djokovic leads head-to-head 30-29)…It’s impossible for me to play Alcaraz sixty times. That won’t be possible, because he will finish his career before me," he added.
Novak Djokovic is through to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, where he squares off against Taylor Fritz on Tuesday, January 23.