'Never As Loved As Federer And Nadal': Djokovic Opens Up On 'Big Three' Dynamics

Last Updated:June 13, 2025, 10:57 IST

The 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic revealed that he did not receive as much love from the fans as the Swiss and the Spaniard did.

Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal. (X)

Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic opened up on sharing the spotlight with icons Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal during the heyday of the traditional top-three in the modern era of the sport.

Djokovic, who has surpassed both Federer and Nadal in terms of the number of Grand Slam titles, revealed that he did not receive as much love from the fans as the Swiss and the Spaniard did.

“I was never as loved as Federer and Nadal because I wasn’t supposed to be there," Djokovic revealed.

“I was the little guy, the third guy who came along and said, ‘I’m going to be number one.’ Many people didn’t like that," the Serbian reflected.

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Djokovic recalled feeling hurt because of the same and tried to stand out from the competition in order to gain acceptance from the fans.

“I acted and still felt like an unwanted child. I asked myself why that was. It hurt me," the 38-year-old said.

“Then I thought the fans would accept me if I acted differently. But that wasn’t the case either," he added.

Djokovic, Federer and Nadal, who have 66 Grand Slam titles amongst them, headlined the biggest rivalry in tennis, however, also harbour deep respect for one another as evidenced by their show of support to each other during landmark moments in their respective careers.

“Just because someone is my biggest rival doesn’t mean I wish them harm, hate them, or want to do anything else on the court to defeat them. We fought for the win, and the better player won," he explained.

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Djokovic, who is one year younger to Nadal and half-a-decade junior to Federer, also went on to add that he gets along better with southpaw despite holding the Swiss in high stead.

“I’ve always respected both him and Federer; I’ve never said a single bad word about them and never will. I looked up to them and still do. But I’ve always gotten along better with Nadal," Djokovic added.

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