Rafael Nadal reveals why he doesn’t chat to Novak Djokovic but speaks to Roger Federer ‘very often’

Rafael Nadal has revealed why he chats to Roger Federer “very often” – but says that isn’t the case with Novak Djokovic.

Nadal and Federer played each other 40 times over their glittering careers, where they accrued a combined 42 Grand Slams, with the Spaniard ending with a 24-16 record in his favour.

The duo arguably put together some of the best matches in the history of tennis, most notably their five-set classic in the 2008 Wimbledon final, which Nadal edged 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7.

While he had the edge in that matchup, as he targeted Federer’s relatively weaker single-handed backhand with his heavy topspin forehand in many of their meetings, Djokovic had the edge over Nadal.

The Serbian finished with a 31-29 head-to-head, with the pair duking it out in some of the most physically demanding battles of all time.

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Fast forward to the present and Nadal, 40, is preparing to play at ‘The MGM Slam presented by Capital One‘ in Las Vegas on 28 February in an exhibition.

This comes after the 22-time major winner headlined a similar event in October with Andy Murray, among others, to mark the 10th anniversary of his academy.

Federer, 45, has been playing in a couple of exhibitions this year, first at the US Open in late August and then at the Shanghai Masters last month. So, would Nadal be open to teaming up with his old rival again?

The former world No 1 told the AP, “I am open (to it), and I had long conversations with Roger. Let’s see what’s going on in the future; if something happens or not. But we are in almost weekly contact together.

“We talk very often, and if at some point we find the right reason and the right place to do something, you will know, guys. But I don’t know yet.”

While Federer and Nadal dominated tennis in the 2000s, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are this era’s standout players. So, do they compare themselves to this current crop?

Nadal joked, “Yeah, we think that we were much, much better,” before responding more seriously, “No, we talk about different stuff. We talk about golf. We talk about sports. We share thoughts. I mean, normal relationship.”

Back in 2024, Nadal said his rivalry with Federer has been “special”, while adding that he has a “good relationship” with Djokovic.

When asked if there is a ‘Big Three’ chat that includes Djokovic, Nadal replied, “We don’t have a chat at all. Novak is still in competition.”

While Federer retired in 2022 and Nadal followed him two years later, Djokovic is still competing at the highest level at age 39. But perhaps when he finally hangs up his racket, a group chat between the three greats will follow.

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