Rafael Nadal drops surprising remarks on Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal has delivered surprising comments regarding his longstanding relationship with fellow tennis legend Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal delivers brutal swipe to Roger Federer. (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE

This is one we didn’t see coming.

Rafael Nadal has opened up on his longstanding relationship with Roger Federer and the remarks are surprising to say the least.

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The two tennis juggernauts spent countless years duking it out on all surfaces the world over and despite their fierce on-court rivalry they appeared to have a strong bond off the court.

From appearances alongside one another, to arguably one of the funniest tennis promos of all time when they attempted to build up the hype for their exhibition match.

When Federer’s career came to an end in 2022, hearts broke as the pair sat side-by-side on the side of the court, fighting back tears and holding hands.

But Nadal extinguished the flames of their bond when asked about the Swiss maestro in an interview with El Objective de La Sexta.

“I wouldn’t consider him a friend, but someone familiar, with whom I have a great relationship,” Nadal said.

“We have shared most of our careers. We have helped each other.

“We have also taken away a lot. We have achieved a level of self-demand that is difficult to repeat because we knew that we could not fail. That competition pushed us to the limit.”

These scenes broke hearts. Picture: Ella Ling/Shutterstock

While it was Nadal and Federer who dominated the tennis scene for a long time, Novak Djokovic has surpassed both men on the grand slam leaderboard.

The relationship between the trio has never been a love affair, but Nadal again surprised with his remarks as he labelled the Serbian the best.

“The image he projects is worse than what he really is,” the Spaniard.

“He’s a good person, with his mistakes … but he’s much better than he looks. To me when someone with so much success has to project.

“Novak breaks his racket but the next point he’s one hundred per cent, that’s why he’s the most successful player in the history of our sport. The numbers don’t lie, he’s the best in history.”

Nadal dubbed Djokovic the best ever. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)

Nadal’s praise on Djokovic come in stark contrast to recent remarks made by the world number one.

After booking his place in the final eight at the Australian Open, Djokovic couldn’t help himself as he delivered another shot at Federer and Nadal.

The 24-time grand slam champion has repeatedly spoken of the strained relationship he has with Federer and Nadal — lamenting the lack of closeness with them. He said bluntly last month he is not friends with either of his biggest rivals.

The 36-year-old was asked if he would prefer to be reaching the end of his career playing alongside Federer and Nadal — or if he prefers to be surrounded by the so called “Next Gen” of stars, including Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.

As reported by tennis journalist Sasa Ozmo, Djokovic said he doesn’t have any regrets about not finishing his career alongside Federer.

“I am really enjoying the rivalries I have with all those guys. Alcaraz, Medvedev, (Jannik) Sinner, everybody near the top I get along with quite nicely,” he said of the current locker room of players.

“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.”

When asked to further explain the comment, Djokovic responded: “I don’t know, it’s just more open, the younger guys are more communicative. We just get along better, that’s it”.

Originally published as Rafael Nadal drops surprising remarks on Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic