Novak Djokovic has explained why he will never be friends with fellow tennis great Rafael Nadal, despite admitting there is ‘great respect’ between them.
Djokovic, 38, is the most decorated men’s tennis player of all time with a sensational 24 Grand Slams to his name — and would have chalked up plenty more were it not for the success of on-court rivals Nadal and Roger Federer, who boast 42 between them.
Despite two-thirds of the iconic tennis trio having already retired, Djokovic is still going strong as the world No 5 in a sport which is now dominated by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
The Serb has revealed why he has never managed to forge a good friendship with Nadal, 39, even after the Spaniard’s retirement, insisting that their status as fierce rivals on the court made it ‘impossible’.
‘Nadal is only a year older than me, we are both Geminis, at first we even went to dinner together, twice. But even with him, friendship is impossible,’ he told Corriere Della Sera.
‘I have always respected and greatly admired him. Thanks to him and Federer, I grew up and became who I am. This will unite us forever; therefore I feel gratitude towards them. Nadal is a part of my life, in the last fifteen years I’ve seen more of him than my mum!
‘We have never been friends. Between rivals, it is not possible, but we have never been enemies.
Novak Djokovic (left) has explained why he will never be friends with Rafael Nadal (right)
He says it was impossible to be friends with Nadal and Roger Federer (left) as they were rivals
Djokovic crashed out of the Shanghai Masters with a semi-final defeat by Valentin Vacherot
He was struggling with injury significantly and needed aid from the physio during the first set
‘I’ve always had respect for Federer, he was one of the greatest of all time. He had an extraordinary impact, but I’ve never been close to him.’
Djokovic suffered a disappointing exit from the Shanghai Masters on Saturday after losing his semi-final against Valentin Vacherot while struggling with a back injury.
The tennis legend thrashed a ball away in frustration midway through the first set, irked by the pain he was feeling in his lower back.
He was treated by the physio and subsequently lost the first set 6-3, before crashing out in straight sets with a 6-4 defeat in the second.
Upon winning the match, Vacherot refused to celebrate in excess — clearly aware of the injury Djokovic was forced to play with.
After they enjoyed a touching moment at the net, Vacherot spoke in disbelief at how he had just managed to topple the titan.
‘I can’t put any words to it,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘This is crazy. just to be on the other side of the net was an unbelievable experience.
‘I have learnt so much from this match. He is really appreciated here and almost got lost in all the titles he had won when they were announcing him.’
