By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, January 9, 2025
Photo: Corleve/Mark Peterson
The King of the Grand Slam Novak Djokovic he has seen it all in his storied career.
Few sights have shattered the Serbian superstar’s competitive psyche quite like the bull rush reverberating through the locker room..
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In a new one GQ Cover Q&ADjokovic reveals that one man is “without a doubt” his most intimidating opponent.
Rafael Nadal.
Twenty-four-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said Nadal was known for displaying an intimidating physique in the dressing room before the match began.
“Nadal was the most intimidating, without a doubt,” Djokovic said GQ’s Daniel Riley. “Roger had a great vibe too, of course. And before you played against him, you could feel it. But he did it with more grace, I think.
“I mean Nadal, because we all share the dressing room, so you see the players warming up and so on. Before you play against him, you already feel it… He wants to do feel his presence. You know? Physically.”
Together, Djokovic and Nadal created the most fruitful rivalry in ATP history meetings 60 times. Djokovic holds a 31-29 advantage over Nadal in their head-to-head history but says the Mallorcan sent a message of intensity before the match every time they played.
“(Nadal is showing) I’m jumping. I’m ready for a battle,” Djokovic said. “I will be physically with you from the beginning. From the first moment, you will hear my moans. That is very intimidating for many players.”
Owner of 99 career titles, Djokovic dominated their head-to-head meetings on hard court during the latter half of their careers. Djokovic has won nine straight matches and 19 straight sets against Nadal on hard courts since losing to a left-hander at the 2013 US Open.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, who owns a 27-23 lifetime record against Roger Federer, initially said he felt the iconic champions shunned him a bit because he was so honest about his Grand Slam goals.
Admitting his relationship with the Big 3 champions has been “up and down”, Djokovic, now coached by former rival Andy Murray, says he dreams of one day sitting down for a drink with Nadal and Federer and opening up with each other honestly. rivalry.
“It’s kind of an up-and-down relationship, to be honest. I always try to be respectful and friendly with them off the court,” Djokovic told GQ. “But at the beginning I didn’t have that acceptance, because I entered the field saying and showing that I was confident that I wanted to win. And I don’t think they liked it very much at first.
“I’d like to have a drink or two with them and talk openly about the things that bother them about me, or vice versa, whatever.
“Let’s say it all. And I think I would love to learn from them and understand what they were thinking about, how they handled certain situations on the field, how they handled the pressure of the world when they were in charge.”
