Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic haven’t always seen eye-to-eye away from the court.
Early on, Federer was sceptical about Djokovic as he started making a name for himself on the ATP Tour.
Both have said before that they don’t really know each other well. Djokovic has even mentioned feeling closer to Rafael Nadal than to Federer.
While Djokovic has admitted they aren’t friends, he’s also talked about wanting to have a conversation with Federer after retiring. Now, Federer has given his response.
“Yeah, I’ve heard Novak say that before,” he told CGTN Sports Scene. “I think it would be nice to sit down together one day. My hope is that over time, our relationship can improve naturally.”
Federer then touched on how tennis helped bring him closer to others during his career.
The History of Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic
The head-to-head record between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic stands at 27-23 in favour of the Serbian star, including wins in four of their last five meetings before Federer retired.
The first chapter of Federer’s book detailed how their bond was just beginning when they faced off in the 2008 Wimbledon final. It took time for them to build a friendship, but once they did, it became strong and lasting.
Roger Federer open to catching up with Novak Djokovic after tennis retirement
Federer is set to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame, with the 20-time Grand Slam winner scheduled to be honoured next year in Newport, Rhode Island.
While speaking to the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger about his induction, Federer was also asked about Djokovic’s comments regarding a future conversation between them.
In his response, Federer indicated he’d be open to catching up with Djokovic and discussed how retirement has changed his perspective on their past rivalry.
“Sure. Rivalries like that create a huge bond,” said Federer. “I see it very differently today than before, with much more distance.
“Novak doesn’t know what that’s like yet. Rafa is slowly getting there. When you’re still playing, you can’t think about it the way I do today. The more time passes, the less you identify yourself as an individual player and the more you see the big picture.
“What’s funny is: Someone might have taken something totally personally—and you can’t even remember it anymore. I’m definitely up for sitting down together and talking about the good old days.”
Roger Federer shares thoughts on possibility of post-retirement exhibition tour with Rafael Nadal
Since stepping away from the sport, both Federer and Nadal have often been asked about what comes next, especially when it comes to opportunities in tennis. One topic that keeps coming up is the idea of an exhibition tour between the two.
Federer has never completely dismissed the idea in previous interviews. When pressed on whether there was any progress toward making it happen, he explained that nothing is currently planned but offered a few ideas for how it could work if they went ahead with it.
“It would be nice if it worked out,” answered Federer. “If we now played exhibitions after our careers, we’d have more time and wouldn’t have to immediately rush to the next thing.
“I could imagine combining the whole thing with a good cause, raising money for my foundation and inspiring kids. At the moment nothing concrete is planned. But I see a few cool things that could come from it.”
Although Federer retired from tennis after playing his last professional match at the Laver Cup back in 2022, he’s still popped up occasionally at exhibition events since then.
One notable appearance was at the Shanghai Masters, where Sam Querrey commented on how sharp Federer still looked three years after his final competitive match.
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic offers candid take on the latest Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz battle
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