Recently, Novak Djokovic spoke candidly about his iconic tennis rivalries on a podcast with Croatian former football star Slaven Bilić. The Serbian great reflected on his own playing style, comparing it more closely to Rafael Nadal’s, while calling Roger Federer the most naturally gifted of the trio.
“Federer is the most talented one, the most beautiful to watch when playing. He uses his energy most efficiently. He moved so lightly, so elegantly and so efficiently, while Nadal is the opposite extreme, he dominated physically. I was somewhere in between, but I leaned more towards Nadal’s style of play. So more sliding, more running, baseline-focused play and so on,” Djokovic stated.
“Each of us had our own characteristics” – Djokovic
Despite their differing styles, the rivalries among Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer have defined an era of men’s tennis. Djokovic holds a 31–29 lead over Nadal in their record 60 meetings from 2006 to 2024. Against Federer, Djokovic finished with a 27–23 record over 50 matches played between 2006 and 2020.
“Each of us had our own characteristics, and over time as our rivalries developed, they evolved and strengthened. We always say that, all three of us, and I know they’ve said it too. Through those rivalries, we each contributed to one other’s growth as tennis players and as people,” the 38-year-old said on the podcast.
“I say it without hesitation, my rivalries with those two had the biggest influence on my development, especially in the second part of my career from 2011 onward,” he concluded.
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