"We have to define what close friends means" - Djokovic opens up about relationship with Nadal
ATP
Novak Djokovic talked about his relationship with Rafael Nadal recently. He admitted they have a lot of respect for each other but wouldn't call them close friends.
Djokovic and Nadal are currently competing for the most Grand Slam titles ever won by a man. At the moment, the Serbian player has 21 majors to his name, while Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam titles in his career.
Nadal and Djokovic are the biggest rivals in the history of tennis, even though Roger Federer had his own rivalry with both of them as well. Often, fans see them only on the tennis courts, which is why many want to know how they see each other away from the courts.
In an interview with Graham Bensinger, which took place in 2020, Djokovic spoke about how he sees his rival Nadal.
"Well, look, we have to define what close friends means. We were never really as close as I would be close with my childhood friends or he would with his. We push each other, we drive each other to be the best we could possibly be with the tennis racket on the court."
In the interview, Djokovic explained why it's difficult to be close friends with someone he has to compete against. They both want to win the most Grand Slam titles and in the end, only one can end up with the most, which might make it difficult to be friends.
"It's just it's really hard [to be close friends] because [we are each other’s] main rivals. [We] both [are] fighting for something that only one can get."
At the same time, Djokovic admitted that they always respected each other, even though they might not have always agreed on everything.
"But we always had respect for each other because, I think, we are all aware of how many kids look at us, look what we do, what we say, how we behave towards each other and towards the sport, towards other people. The example that we give is something that is very important to all of us."
