Friendship with Nadal ‘impossible’, but respect endures: Djokovic

Novak Djokovic has admitted that it was not possible to be friends with his long-time rival Rafael Nadal, despite seeing the Spaniard more often than his own mother over the last 15 years.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion said he shared mutual respect with Nadal and Roger Federer, but closeness was never possible among fierce competitors.

"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. I have always respected and greatly admired him. Thanks to him and Federer, I grew up and became who I am," Djokovic told Corriere Della Sera.

"This will unite us forever, therefore, I feel gratitude towards them. Nadal is a part of my life, in the last 15 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."

"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," he added.

The Serbian, who holds a superior head-to-head record over both Nadal and Federer, last won a major at the 2023 US Open. Since then, the emergence of young stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has seen them share the next eight Grand Slam titles.

However, Djokovic did secure a memorable victory over Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympics final, joining the elite group of players to achieve the Golden Slam — all four majors plus Olympic gold.

Djokovic's recent campaign at the Shanghai Masters ended in the semi-finals, where he fell 6-3, 6-4 to Valentin Vacherot.

"It's all about him. I wish him all the best in the final, and the better player won today," Djokovic said after the match.

Vacherot went on to make history by defeating Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final, becoming the lowest-ranked player (204) ever to win a Masters 1000 title.