Djokovic is super wholesome in the handshakes lmao, felt kind of bad for him in his early years when someone who he clearly respects didn’t like him

The bottom line was, Rafa and Rogers were not expecting Nova to be the kind of player he is today.

People are also forgetting that Novak has celiac disease, but earlier in his career he didn't know so he was technically immunocompromised. That's why he was retiring a lot. In 2011 he changed his diet and the rest is history.

People were always laughing at Djokovic when he retired matches and calling him out that he was faking it. Fast forward to today, he is the guy who is in the best shape with no chronic injuries that might cut his career short. He is on a good track to have the longest career out of the big three and maybe retiring when he had risks for serious injuries paid off afterall.

Sure, Djokovic against all odds, against 90% of fans on the stands, against press and big tennis names and “gurus”. Would love to see how other guys’ careers would look like under these circumstances. Whatever the feelings, what Novak has done is an amazing sport achievement that makes him one of the mentally strongest athlets forever in sports. That is the only important legacy, not who Roger or others love or hate.

like him or not djokovic was biggest threat to fed in terms of finals

You forgot to mention, when Federer had more grand slam titles, and there was a goat conversation, he said that gs titles matter the most. Now when Djokovic has more, he changed his narrative, it's not about the numbers. Yet Djokovic won more, with a better percentage, and has a better head to head score.

In 2010, Roger had 16 grand slams while Novak had only one, this definitely affected the level of respect between them. When Djokovic started winning more slams, Federer knew he was the real deal.

I feel like Roger's always been the slightly prideful big brother of the big 3, and rafa was the timid and shy little brother who never wants to take up the big brother's spot light, but Novak is the more unruly little brother who's ambitious and quirky and has full intention on taking big bros crown one day. So Roger was always a bit more competitive with novak as they're both alpha personality so they're bound to clash sometimes. Rafa is fire on the court but water off it, very laid back personality which is why he's on good terms with both Roger and Novak.

Federer has built up such a cult of personality for being “classy” that the numerous salty things he has said especially to Novak in his career are never mentioned lol

I have always loved how Federer plays. He is a gentleman and very affable. However, I have to say Djokovic really wins my respect for the person that he is, through good times and difficult ones. And he is also a great tennis player and competitor.

Federer was always running on talent. Once he met players that could potentially beat him more often (Nadal, Djokovic, Del Potro) he showed other emotions. Famous examples are the ball on the body against Delpo at the Indian Wells final Fed lost, the Grandslam AO final 2011, that he lost from Djoko, the AO final he lost from Nadal when he started crying. Some how he is known as "the gentleman of tennis", but it's easy to do this when your winning, but how do you behave when your loosing?

Novak became more humble by winning. Federer became more humble by losing.

The amount of damage the social media has done to the image of Novak is second to none, they left no stones unturned to tarnish his image, they are still doing it and simultaneously making both Nadal and Federer the good guys of the sports, I guess the perks of born in a wealthy developed nation, the good guys who never questioned the corruption in ATP, the good guys who never cared about the tennis players from lower circuit, the good guys with etiquette on how to behave in front of people, what to say diplomatically that doesn't give a a wrong impression, basically faking one's personality, the good guys who always made sure how to be politically correct all the time. These traits earned them a lot of respect. The one who questioned the authority got hate, got singled out, made a political scapegoat, treated like a villain or prisoner. PS: This world has lost its virtue and corruption is on another level viz. Socially, Economically and Politically.

I think Federer did not anticipate that Novak will grow so big and dominate him. It is a question of tolerance. So, in the beginning, Federer vent out his frustration on Novak. But later he settled down when he realized that he cannot avoid Novak as the dominant force in tennis.

In sports, losing is most difficult part of all, but will show his/her real face of character. Novak has super sportsmanship whenever losing to whoever he played, which earns my highest respect.

I think it's overblown. They probably don't click in terms of their different personalities, but no doubt real recognizes real and they respect each other as players

Check also 2006 Montecarlo first match, at the net Djokovic says something like "it was a pleasure" and Roger just nods at him

I've always said Roger is an extremely poor sport in losing during his "prime", nothing wrong with competitive hunger and displaying that, but Novak is a great example of removing yourself from the result, showing humility, respect and complimenting the play of others following a loss. Response to adversity really is the grandest look into someone's character.

When you grow up through war, you are humbled by life. Roger grew up with a lot of privileges that Novak did not. In the end, old age and losses have made them earn Mutual respect for each other

With Nadal, Federer had come to accept that he would always be second best in clay and on odd occasions in other court types. But in Djokovic’s case, Federer could never accept never accept him as his competitor. Hence there was a bit of animosity and jealousy from his side

Through the course of career, I've never heard Djokovic said a single bad or inconvenient word against Federer. Same goes against Kyrgios. But he was not so much liked by these two

Federer first complained about Novak giving up easily, shortly after that about Novak not giving up at all!!! 😂😂😂

Federer didn't know how to handle being called "The GOAT", loved and venerated everywhere in the world, yet losing more often than not against Nadal, and more importantly against Djokovic, whom the crowds were always against but Djokovic almost always found the improbable inner strength and physical talent to beat Fed. And the last 3 years have proven just how courageous Djokovic is to stand his own ground while Federer has shown to be a man of the system.

When Federer still played, Novak was the black sheep. Nowdays the same ppl who disliked Novak before, is starting to love the guy and realize that he is the goat

I'm not a Djokovic fan, but your video is spot on. I have always appreciated many things about Djokovic though, he never left any stone unturned in his pursuit for greatness and has always been a gracious loser no matter what else. I do wish others had understood his health issues in the beginning of his career but it's not something he could have talked about since it would only be construed as excuses. I like Djokovic's response about his father. No matter their sacrifices, it doesn't give him the right to trash talk Federer and Nadal. Great video. Really appreciated it and also subscribed. 👍

When Novak retires he will have most wins on record and rightly so he's beaten the best of the best of his era and his never give up attitude will make him the GOAT

roger's whole ego seemed to be about being the outright greatest in tennis and he was up until 2009. When Rafa again defeated him at 2009 oz open and he cried saying "It's killing me", he was finally realising maybe he wasn't greatest ever given rafas tendency to out play him in slams. Similarly Djokovic made him more genuinely humble by being even better against Roger's arch nemesis Rafa .. I think he also began to realise these guys in a very special way made him even greater too, and that it was not just his own magic but the whole context of that era which shined so bright. The whole was much more than the sum of their individual tennis contributions, it's almost a miracle to see 3 so different but equally great players all playing such uniquely memorable and inseparable roles....

Finally someone making honest video about their relationship. Federer was always butthurt in the past when he started losing to Djokovic and you could easily tell (unless you were Djokovic hater) that he was not liking him.

Federer's demeanor like that should not be as a surprise as when he was young (1998-2001), he exhibited that kind of behavior (even worse).

“In those vital moments, Federer was paying for the years between 2004 and 2007 where he dominated his rivals so much that he never had to play an important game... He was not tested enough then, it was too easy for him, so he did not improve tactically... Nowadays, however, he’s faced with guys like Rafa Nadal and Djokovic, who are the masters in these tactical matters, and he does not play the important points correctly.” - Mats Wilander I think Federer's open animosity for Djokovic stemmed from this very same problem --> he had learned to dominate his opponents and so, it was easy to be classy and magnanimous to the likes of Hewitt, Roddick, an older Agassi, Baghdatis, Gonzalez etc. that he beat well... they weren't a threat... Djokovic though believed he could compete from the get go and even commentators at the time (eg. Canadian Open 2007) spoke about that... and with Djokovic and Nadal having eclipsed a lot of Federer's achievements now, Federer has had to openly accept that he is no longer without peer

Great video man! Definitely a hot topic and will be part of the GOAT debate for ages to come. The 3 of them are so unique and makes for great drama. I for one think Djokovic is a great soul and terribly misjudged.

At the end of it all, Djokovic has let his racquet speak for him. A true fighter and all time great going by his on court achievement.

Growing up is a long and painful process....And in tennis, ego's are important and yes, easily bruised.

Great analysis, you picked out all the key/prickly moments over their career and Federer softening towards Djoko during latter part of his career as his respect for Djokovic and his achievements grew

Djokovic is one who always gives wom hug and be nice to everyone who plays against him!!!

People forget how high up in his ass was Roger 10-15 years ago when everyone viewed him as a tennis god and showered him with praises. He always came out as arrogant to me, not the gentleman persona he and his marketing team are pushing for decades now. It's nice that Rafa and Novak humbled him, I like him much more now honestly.

I'm a huge Nadal-Federer fan, but it's getting harder and harder to question that Djokovic will go down in history as the best of his era. Timing is important, sure, and so is the fact that Nadal has been injury-prone much of his career. Djokovic is the youngest of the three, but not by much compared to Nadal! It's the injuries - which are a combination of genes, luck, and playing style - that have made the difference in the last few years. But that's just part of the game. It's inherent to Djokovic's genius that he has managed to stay healthy by playing clean, efficient, solid tennis, using his body wisely. Nadal simply played his heart and body out. I fear for the next generation, like Alcaraz, who injure themselves while trying to lift their game up to Djokovic's level. Ah, well. I will always be loyal to Federer and Nadal, but tip my hat to the GOAT: Djokovic.

Great Video! There hasn't always been proper conduct and sportsmanship from Federer's side. However, I am glad that both of them still managed to grow close.

Thank you for the video. I think all three of them are great guys. The video gives a good perspective on why Federer may have looked like sour grapes against Djokovic throughout his career. I think Federer was too proud . And that cost him a lot. He wasn't progressing at the level he should have been to stay competitive against these guys. In 2017, he made a comeback looking stronger than ever but it was a little late.

You put 2 magnets plus plus and they repel each other... NOVAK survived and won in 15 year long battle and become ultimate EMPEROR and tennis GOAT...

Thanks for great video. They still have so much yet to offer to the world of tennis. Wish them both good health and enjoyable well deserved retirement days (once all 3 retire).

Im from Serbia, and i can say that the best 3 best players in the world, Rafa, Nole, Roger are very humble people and all of them are the perfect idols for young players, i also beleve that all the little dirty words are normal part of every sport, what is important is that in the end of the day they all respect each other

Their rivalry was always very spicy, but then they got older and became more diplomatic and mature. And I think when Djokovic got stronger, Roger grew respect for him in proportion. I cannot wait for something like this to happen; when Djokovic retires sometime in the future and they both become tennis commentators at Grand Slams alongside each other, like Koenig and Goodall at smaller events. Now that is a powerhouse commentary team in the commentary booth right there. Chuck Jim Courier in there as the 3rd commentator and that'll take it to the next level.

Never liked Federer's personality, giving no respect to some of the tennis players where on the other side Djokovic never said anything controversial about anyone, except for Kirgios when Novak said that He doesn't respect him of the court but I feel like that was completely justified, on the other hand, He went as far and defended some of the players like for example Tsitsipas when everyone were accusing Him for taking "long breaks" between sets. In the end, all those things don't matter, what matters are the results they achieved during their careers, and Federer has a lot to be respected for, there is no question about that, but Novak is the GOAT!

I feel like something almost everyone overlooks when discussing the greatest of all time debate is when a player achieved the majority of their slams. There is no debate that the early twenties is prime tennis playing age, whereas a noticeable drop off does happen after reaching 27. You can't argue against this. Even if you eliminate the one-slam wonders, do you know how many multi-slam winners started winning slams before their 21'st birthday? A lot! You've got Borg, Becker, Nadal, Sampras, Hewit, Edberg, Willander, McEnroe, Safin, Courier, Djokovic, Alcaraz, and I know I'm missing others. Do you know how many multi-slam winners won their first slam after reaching 27? ONE. One player in the history of tennis. That's because the prime of a tennis player's career does not happen as they grow older. I think we've been conditioned to think this is possible because of how successful the big 3 were in their late careers, but that certainly doesn't mean they were playing higher quality tennis than in their early twenties. It just means the next era of young players who were in their prime just weren't good enough. But please don't fool yourself into believing Djokovic somehow magically became a better tennis player as his body aged. Like this can't even be argued. Just look at all the great tennis players in history. Federer won the majority of his slams before turning 27. Nadal won the majority of his slams before turning 27. Sampras won the majority of his slams before turning 27. Borg won all of his slams before turning 25. Connors won the majority of his slams before turning 27. Lendl won the majority of his slams before turning 28. Wilander won all of his slams before turning 25. McEnroe won all of his slams before turning 27. Edberg won all of his slams before turning 27. Courier won all of his slams before turning 24. Becker won the majority of his slams before turning 25. Now tell me, what multi-slam winner has won the majority of their slams after turning 27? 3 of them: Agassi, Djokovic and Wawrinka. And they all have something in common. They had to play the long game and wait until their greatest rival (or rivals) were out of their prime tennis playing age in order to finally rack up the majority of their own slams. Agassi went from 3 slams to 8 once Sampras was past his prime (27+) Wawrinka had to wait until Nadal, Federer and Djokovic were past their primes to start winning his slams (you could argue Djokovic was still in prime when Wawrinka won his first but all the big 3 were outside of the tennis prime window when Wawrinka won the other 2. And Djokovic went from 6 slams to 24 once both Nadal and Federer exited their prime playing days (after they turned 27). 6 to 24, wow that's such a telling bit of information. And explains the recency bias that exists in Novak fans who either didn't witness his prime years when he was playing second fiddle to both Nadal and Federer, or they simply refuse to acknowledge any meaning to it.

Seeing Rafa, Nadal and Nole fighting for titles was amazing. They gave us great tennis through all these years. What I found beautiful in their rivalry is the fact that they all had completely different personalities and they stayed true to them, always respecting each other at the end. I hope to see a movie that will capture the rivalry between the three legends!

Federer has been getting Sportmanship award for 10+ years.... watching this you realize what a big sham it was, Federer was never close to being a sport when he lost to Novak.

That U.S. open 2010 semifinals was beginning of federer's nickname 40-15... federer better never said " lucky shots " 😂😂😂😂

Fair and balanced narration by you…great journalism on your part.

Fuimos privilegiados enesta época, tuvimos los mas grandes tenistas en la historia compitiendo y disfrutando las épicas batallas, todos unos caballeros dentro y fuera de la cancha... Tanto en mujeres como hombres.... Roger, Nadal, Djockovic, Sampras, Del Potro, Murray, Mujeres Las Williams, Seles, Hinguis, Clijsters, Henin, Osaka en fin todos todos excelentes tenistas y los tuvimos en una sola era... Gracia TENIS....

Novak mental strength is incredible. Every final the crowd and press is against him but he keeps adding more Grand Slams. He just tied Nadal and seeing both condition at the moment, I'm positive Djokovic will end up with more.

I really didnt like rogers behavior towards novak in start its so heart breaking from federer i always thought big 3 should be like 3 friends but u can see when djokovic started dominating him the respect came too I always see Djokovic being the most humble out of big 3 but djokovic always respected other two like his idols i never heard a single disrescpectful word from novak and its good too see these three one last time together like brothers 🥲

Well written and edited, with a great summing up, which is worthy of two great champs. Thanks.

All is well when it ends well. As a big Nole fan I can say that I love Roger for what he did for tennis. Same goes for Rafa.

Great video.... I'm a tennis fan. It don't matter who wins because tennis wins.

Djokovic went through much difficult path of tennis in their carriers, and came out every time stronger than before. That's why he will become GOAT if he able to find strength to play few more years.

good work . well explained and with a surprise happy ending that was good for the soul watching the retire of fed with djocko at his side in a genuine respect

Federer+NovaK+Nadal together clinched 67 Grandslams in total. What an era for Tennis? I don't think there will ever be another time like this again. I feel I'm so lucky to watch all 3 of them. I'm a fan of the 3 legends

I always feel Novak is very courteous to all his opponents , unfortunately Federer I feel is not

this is why we dont bring history up to discredit a man's behaviour. people take time to grow. no one is born flawless and perfect, especially if you're a girl. im novak fan even though roger brought me into tennis. its amazing to have the big 3 in the sport and inspiring me and my tennis friends.

Bravo for clip. Glad to see someone who doesen t take sides but rather explain everything objectively- neutral.

An excellent assessment. Whatever tensions exist between these two great players, ultimately their respect for each other's brilliance trumps petty likes or dislikes.

I'm sooo glad you make this video! In the beginning of Djokovic's career he might have used this type of strategy but not after 2010. In another hand, someone else have used this throughout his entire career which I will not name that person (I think we all know who that is) a clue, in this year's Wimbledon. In the end some grown to be mature and towards greatness, some just feed on people's ignorance and admiration of others praise. But nevertheless the triangle of tennis's golden pyramid, their greatness will stayed in all of our hearts forever!!

Both of them are the reason why I didn't give up tennis. Used to be terrible at it. Watching them making me love tennis more. Playing better until now

Superbe video - lovely overview of a positive evolution of a relationship

As much as it pains me to say, Novak is the greatest of all time. These last 6 months clinched it for me. Winning Wimbledon again, Easily wining the Fall events he played and then winning the “5th” Grand Slam in November. Unlike Roger, he beat Rafa twice at Roland Garros and won it two times. Most time at number 1, most Masters wins and has dominated the last 11 years. Rafa’s been great in that stretch too, but Novak has been the best. Probably will win the most majors over Rafa and get to 100 titles, possibly break Roger’s record of 103.

Federer and Djokovic have one thing in common: They are both great human beings. As the natural competitive tension between then has eased since Roger retired, they have become closer. But if you're Roger, it's still got to eat at you that you lost two U.S. open semifinals and a Wimbledon final against Novak when you had match points. And if you'd won these matches, you might still be in the GOAT conversation.

Federer was a bit cocky in his prime, and Novak was as well as a teenager. Novak and his family were very upfront and kind of obnoxious (his father still is) and that didn't match well with Federer's ego. Besides, Federer was beaten by other young players in his prime: Nadal, Murray and Gasquet for example. He was never cold and distant towards them.

I enjoyed the video. THX!

Thank you! I enjoyed your video of these two.. Made me feel kinder toward joker.🎾

somebody below said and I had to repeat "Djokovic believes in himself & Federer likes himself."

Federer also complained loudly about Nadal about injury time at the Australian Open 2014

thank you for this. more people should open their eyes and stop idolizing federer. novak is much more humble and i'm so glad he grew in the bigger champion, too. a legend among legends.

Excellent presentation, my thanks

Great video with a great message.

There is a saying that goes "He who laughs last laughs best"... ...there could possibly be a new saying now "He who cries first cries worst". All the best Djokovic for 2023! 👍👍

Tbf Federer was always a bit cold after a loss earlier in his career. Not only when playing against Djokovic.

Well you nailed,as a Novak fan i already missing post match clashes with Fed fans,so every era comes to the end and this one was epic.

Thanks for sharing

Roger choked so many times vs nole he started to hate him

It must be hard for Rodger and Rafa to accept that Nole is breaking all their records and stay as the best tennis player in history 🎾🎾🎾

It's great seeing that Fed and Djoker later found common ground to respect one another 👏 👍

Great video!!

Too surprised that Novak is playing better than they are and by the grace of God will continue to play and win and win.

I've had always problems understanding Federer's bias regarding Djokovic. Federer has had the nicest style of tennis I've ever seen. He had a splendid, unique and extremely efficient one handed backhand. Yet, Djokovic won more games against him head to head, specially in the finals. When technically, strategically and tactically one is as good or better than you, there is a good "chance" that you may loose. Maybe this was the cause of his bias. A hidden anger and jealousy because he couldn't do more against Djokovic. Anyway, these 22 grand slams for Nadal and Djokovic (who knows maybe more in the future) against 20 of Federer's, I find them unfair. Yet, reality is never fair with us. Isn't it ? If ever there will be a commemoration of the 3, I would pack them together because they are inseparable. They are the expression of a unique and grandiose period of the tennis world. They are the 3 musketeers of the tennis.

I much prefer seeing them friendly and respectful to each other than all the toxic comments. Great champions, both 🏆

It took much longer for Roger to accept Novak as an equal than it took for Rafa… Maybe it was “how” Rafa began to eclipse him after the Wimbledon masterpiece, and he saw Rafa begin to break away? When he cried after the Australian Open loss, one can sense that he was going to have to let it go because Rafa had his number. Novak was able to achieve something neither Roger or Rafa didn’t have to- winning with crowds rooting against him… This is a remarkable feat, and will never be duplicated!

I love Roger, but IMO, he was a sore loser at times. Djoko had his number and escaping at the US open and Wimbledon with 2 match points was the kiss of death for any argument that Fed is the GOAT. Its between Djoko and Rafa.

I personally feel fed and nole's rivalry was peak during 2011and 2012 where fed said "it's too early they say these things and let's see after 6 months" when asked about passing the torch to the younger generation after nole owned him during 2011 AO SF. Then the next gs ie. FO was history and the same happened during 2012 FO when fed was asked about his age and decline and almost was written off after FO SF 2012 and the Wimbledon 2012 was history. I feel after 2013 the level of nole was too good and it was only fed and Murray who were able to challenge him on hard and grass courts and during 2015 it was like nole and others and after that even fed knew that nole should be respected and he did it like others and after Cincinnati final 2018 it was clearly evident that he respected him and was seen amused during his points, worst mid 2018 season made Roger understand that he is also a human after a great 2017 season and he was fine and mature like nole always was.

Great video, thanks

Djokovic is a very polite and funny guy. I find it funny when some people criticize him for smashing a racket or shouting at the court. These emotions are part of the sport and I find it entertaining.

There was 1 more thing i remember,it happend after Djokovic won his first Grand Slam.Jurnalist asked Roger about Novak,how he see him, because he is young and won grand slam,and Roger answered something like this:"Who is he,why u asking me about him,he only have 1 grand slam,its nothing spectacular.This is why i cheer for Novak to take more slams then Roger.Similar when Novak had elbow injury and he was angry at matches and shoot balls with rage everywhere,when jurnalist asked him what will happend if u hit someone,u could get disfalificated,and he sad:"When i hit someone ask me that",thats why i wasnt mad when he was disfalificated from US,even if he didnt do it on purpose that time.And also about that luck DJokovic had at US open,he saw latter if it was luck or not,at end they never liked each other. Roger probably didnt like him in big 3,because he didnt deserve it to be there with him and Nadal.

I feel that Federer felt threatened by Novak early years because he showed great potential. Rafa was for a long time only competitive on clay so Fed had no problem with him but Novak was a threat for him on all surfaces. But when Novak established himself not just as a talent but as the man to beat, thats when Roger started to respect him more. I feel like he kinda disrespected him at the begining out of fear(?) but later respected him because of sucess. I didnt see Djokovic as arrogant early on but maybe Roger did, who knows. In the end, this is a very competitive 1v1 sport where the winner takes points, money and pride from you, its hard to not be salty from time to time. Djokovic showed the most respect out of the 3 because he came when the other 2 were already established superstars, and they gave him the least respect because he was a newcomer. The respect nowdays is good enough, cant really ever be more then that when 1 match is worth about 2milion and 1000 points, too much is at stake.

When pride gets in the way, hurtful words are spoken, and most of the time, can't be erased...

Very good vídeo. It is nice that their relationship improved.

Djokovic is too intelligent. Jealousy by others is natural! Just listen to his speech after the final in Wimbledon 2022. Stan Wawrinka disliked Mirka F. Also because she was loud during Stan-Roger match. So, things happen. We should not try to blame only Djokovic.

We enjoyed great matches between these two guys. What they said at the start,will be forgotten. I am sure when both of them retire,they will have normal connection. Both big champions with ego. They did great job for the game

Being an avid, astute tennis enthusiast, I’ve followed the sport for years. I’ve watched players come and go. Once the sport became wide world, it began to gain heavy or a great amount of media coverage. Then comes the comments, the beef or bickering pitting players against one another. It’s a popular sport and within the sport you have to have an outstanding player. After Pete samphras and Agassi retired, Roger took the baton. He became a fan favorite. After Nadal beat Rodger 2008 Wimbledon, it became a rivalry. Once Djokovic entered the running, he became a tough opponent,a worthy contender. An anomaly that seems to be occurring is the number of players dropping out of matches due to stress or unknown injury. Ready to watch a match and the report comes across the screen, the player withdrew. Years ago it may have been one, now 5 or more players per tournament. that’s a lot. I just hope the sport survives the changes that r happening today.

@2:58 FINALLYYYY somebody aknowledges that match and that return! Watched this match live and could not believe it! Always been a Federer fan and that match HURT