Djokovic on Federer: "I felt coldness and distance from him"

Novak Djokovic made rare confessions about his relationship with Federer and Nadal.

The Serb has never been afraid to speak his mind, and this time, he addressed what has long been shrouded in mystery: his sometimes complex relationship with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"My attitude towards them never changed. It was their attitude towards me that changed. I admired them. And I still consider them as people who paved the way for me. Especially Federer, who is six years older than me.

But as soon as I felt coldness and distance from him (Federer), I told myself: 'Okay, no problem.' And later, when they reached out to me, I didn't have a problem either and I opened my arms."

But if the relationship with Federer was sometimes distant, the one with Nadal followed a more natural dynamic:

"As for Nadal, I always understood him better. We are roughly the same age, maybe that's why."

Djokovic's words therefore show that, behind the sporting rivalries, there is above all a human story.