Rafael Nadal acknowledged that he had something "special" going on with Roger Federer but also highlighted that Novak Djokovic was also someone he greatly respected and appreciated because the Serb was also a huge part of his tennis story.
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Shortly after the Spaniard showed up on the big scene in 2005, he and the Swiss formed a huge rivalry that is set to go down not only as one of the greatest in tennis history but also as one of the best in all sports. Also, they always had nothing but very positive words for each other.
While Djokovic with his results caught up with the two and also had major rivalries with them, it wasn't a secret that there were rumors claiming that Nadal and Federer didn't have the same level of appreciation for the Serbian as they had for each other. That was especially the case with the Swiss as some reports indicated that the two didn't like each other at all.
But as the years progressed and their rivalry grew, Djokovic only had respectful and very appreciative words for his two biggest rivals. He received the same from the two in return.
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Now ahead of his upcoming retirement, Nadal was asked how he and Federer were able to have such a special relationship while being the biggest rivals. That's when the 38-year-old made sure that the 37-year-old Serb wasn't forgotten in the conversation.
"Of course, with Roger Federer has been special, but with Novak too, I have a good relationship. It's the way that you approach the sport I think. That's possible because in the end, that's possible because, as I said before, we understand that that's all you get. In life, we have many more important things outside of tennis. At the end of the day, if you have a good relationship with the colleagues, with the people who are next to you or with the people in general, without a doubt in my experience, you will be happier. So at the end tennis is only a game, relationships go beyond that," Nadal said on DAZN.
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Nadal on the possibility of meeting Djokovic in exhibitions
Following the conclusion of next month's Davis Cup Finals, the 38-year-old's career will officially finish and the record 24-time Grand Slam champion will remain the only active Big Three member. And naturally, some are already curious to know if the Spaniard and the 37-year-old would meet in some exhibitions.
On the pro level, the two met 60 times, with the Serb winning 31 of those clashes. So when answering the question about the prospects of them squaring off in some exhibitions, Nadal joked a bit.
"Well we played plenty of times, we don't need to play again (laughs). But it has always been a big challenge and a great rivalry. He's a player who has been always pushing me at the highest level, going through the limits. I think that's the same feeling that we have between each other," he said.
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Also, Nadal used the opportunity to one more time underline that the presence of Federer and Djokovic helped him become the player he was.
"Both of us with Roger, we push ourselves to the next level because the opponent in front has always been very strong and we need to be all the time improving, improving and improving to be able to keep competing at the level that we needed to keep having success. Of course! I mean that's the beautiful thing about sports. We always have the clear goal and determination to be better and better and better and having big opponents in front, that gives you a more clear perspective about how you have to make this done," the Spanish former world No. 1 said.
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Nadal pumps the brakes on Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner being compared to the Big Three
This year was the first season that didn't see a Big Three member win a Grand Slam since 2002. Instead, world No. 1 Sinner and second-ranked Alcaraz split the four Slams between them.
With Federer gone and Nadal set to join him and Djokovic not winning a Major this season, some are already hyping up the Sinner and Alcaraz rivalry as the next thing that will reach the Big Three levels.
"We need to wait but of course this year, already two Gand Slams each, number one, number two in the world, so they are creating their own story. I mean, I think it's not the moment to compare eras because Novak is still there. Roger and I, we left, we're gonna leave soon but that's part of the sports career of everyone so now it's new generation coming. We need to let them create their own rivalries and their own story. They dont need the comparisons with us," Nadal said.
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