By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, January 9, 2025
Photo credit: Corleve/Mark Peterson
Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic has seen it all in his storied career.
Few sights have crashed the Serbian superstar’s competitive psyche quite like the Bull rush reverberating throughout the locker room.
Pegula: Swiatek Case Evokes Faith and Frustration
In a new GQ cover story Q&A, Djokovic reveals one man “without a doubt” is his most intimidating opponent.
Rafael Nadal.
Twenty-four time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said Nadal was notorious for unleashing intimidating physicality in the locker room before the match even began.
“Nadal was the most intimidating, without a doubt,” Djokovic told GQ’s Daniel Riley. “Roger also had a huge aura, of course. And before you played against him, you felt it. But he did it with more grace, I suppose.
“I mean Nadal, because we all share locker rooms, so you see the players warming up and so on. Before playing against him, you already felt it… He wants to make his presence felt. You know? Physically.”
Together, Djokovic and Nadal created the most prolific rivalry in ATP history meeting 60 times. Djokovic holds a 31 to 29 edge over Nadal in their head-to-head history, but says the man from Mallorca sent a pre-match message of intensity every time they played.
“[Nadal is showing] I’m jumping. I’m ready for a battle,” Djokovic said. “I’m going to be physical with you from the beginning. From the first moment, you’re going to hear my grunts. That’s very intimidating for a lot of players.”
The owner of 99 career titles, Djokovic dominated their hard-court head-to-head meetings over the last half of their careers. Djokovic won nine straight matches and 19-set consecutive sets vs. Nadal on hard courts after losing to the left-hander at the 2013 US Open.
The 37-year-old Djokovic, who owns a 27-23 lifetime record against Roger Federer, said initially he felt the iconic champions shunned him a bit because he was so candid about his Grand Slam goals.
Conceding his relationship with is fellow Big 3 champions has been “up and down,” Djokovic, now coached by former rival Andy Murray, says he dreams of one day sitting down for drinks with Nadal and Federer and opening up with each other honestly on their rivalry.
“It’s kind of a relationship with ups and downs, to be honest. I always try to be respectful and friendly with them off the court,” Djokovic told GQ. “But at first I didn’t have that acceptance, because I entered the court saying and showing that I was confident that I wanted to win. And I don’t think they liked that very much at first.
“I’d like to have a drink or two with them and talk openly about the things that bother them about me. Or vice versa, whatever.
“Let’s say it all. And I think I would love to learn from them and understand what they were thinking about, how they handled certain situations on the court, how they carried the pressure of the world when they were at the top.”
