The tennis world has long been divided on the greatest rivalry of all time: Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal or Federer vs. Novak Djokovic? In a surprising twist, the Maestro himself seems to have weighed in, subtly positioning his epic battles with Nadal as the ultimate tennis theater. With a diplomatic yet definitive stance, Federer has ignited a fresh debate about the heart of his career’s most intense rivalries. In Federer’s own words, “It was much more straightforward thinking.”

Federer faced the Serbian challenge for the first time in 2006. While the ‘King’ dominated Nole in the initial matches they played, Djokovic did not fail to avenge each of them fiercely. And four years after their last encounter at 2020 Australian Open SFs, the Swiss Maestro engaged in an interview with the Financial Times. He deliberated on a wide range of topics including his life post-retirement and some of his most-talked rivalries.

Speaking in the interview, he opened up about Djokovic and shared that he did not have to rework his skills and plans to defeat the Serb. “It was just about, I needed to perform at my best to beat him. It was much more straightforward thinking.” However, he acknowledged the challenges he faced against the Serb.

“When he reached his absolute peak, he was really hard to play because he was everywhere, he was long, he was tall, he was quick, he had it all. So it was more of a mental challenge.” Federer’s viewpoint about Djokovic is contrary to what he feels about facing Rafael Nadal. 

In the same interview, he revealed the mental tenacity he needed to outshine Rafa. “He gave me so many more problems than other players could. He made me second-guess myself, go back to the drawing board, and come up with a new master plan — and then also not overthink it.” Similarly, when asked about why his rivalry with Federer received more attention than that of Djokovic, Nadal claimed “a combination of very radical styles”:

Coming back to his rivalry with Nole, Federer has been critical of the Serb’s skills in the past as well. Federer had revealed that he didn’t respect Novak’s skills in his early days. “I think I didn’t give Novak the respect he deserved because of his technical flaws. I felt like Novak had a very extreme forehand grip and his backhand for me wasn’t as fluid as it is nowadays.” Similar sentiments were outpoured by Djoker soon after he booked his place in the fourth round of this year’s Australian Open.

Djokovic candidly revealed that Federer wasn’t exactly a fan of the young Serbian when he first burst onto the tennis scene. Reflecting on his century of matches at Melbourne Park, Djokovic acknowledged that he might not have been universally liked during his early career. “I know certainly Federer didn’t like the way I was behaving at the beginning,” he told Fox Sports. “I think it didn’t sit with him well. I don’t know about the others. I guess I wasn’t the favorite type of guy to some of the top guys because I was not afraid to say that I wanted to be the best player in the world.”

Despite undermining Djokovic in his initial days, Federer failed to lead him in the head-to-head tally which he trails 27-23. As Djokovic continues to evolve, the prime question is whether he will be able to outshine Federer’s Olympic record as well.

Will Djokovic outshine Federer’s record at the Paris Olympics?

The 37-year-old has etched his name in tennis history as one of the most successful players. Having won 24 Grand Slams, he has outpassed several records of Federer. But there is one record that Nole has not failed to surpass yet and has a great chance this Olympics. 

Djokovic’s biggest feat at the Summer Olympics was winning the bronze medal at the Beijing Games in 2008. But this year is special. Nole is in the final of the Olympics for the first time in his career. And if he wins the match against Carlos Alcaraz, he will not just avenge his Wimbledon defeat but will outshine Federer’s singles record at the Olympic games. Remember, the Swiss Maestro won the silver medal in the London Olympics in 2012 which is his biggest achievement in the singles. 

As the tournament progresses, it would be interesting to see if Djokovic can continue his momentum and win big this Summer!