Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have shared one of the best rivalries that tennis has ever seen. With a total of 44 Grand Slam titles between them, they are two of the greatest players to grace the sport. The two of them and Rafael Nadal were famously nicknamed the ‘Big 3’ because of their sheer dominance. But while Federer and Nadal are known to be great friends, the Swiss has a very different relationship with Djokovic. The latter has admitted that even though they share mutual respect, they never had any relationship off the court due to their rivalry.

“My relationship with Federer has always been strictly professional,” he said during a press conference at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. “I always had a lot of respect for him, and I still have today, because he brought a lot to our sport. He paved the way for the younger generations, and I am grateful to him for that. But we have never had any relationship off the court. In reality, it’s normal, since we have always been rivals.”

Djokovic and Federer faced each other a total of 50 times in tour-level matches. The Serb won six of their last seven meetings and took a 27-23 lead in the H2H record. Their last meeting came in the semifinals of the 2020 Australian Open, where Djokovic prevailed 7-6, 6-4, 6-3. They came up against each other in 20 finals, and many of their matches are regarded as classics today.

This includes the 2011 US Open final, where Djokovic made an incredible comeback and defeated Federer 6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5. Another match that can be added to the category is the famous 2019 Wimbledon final, where Djokovic ousted Federer 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12. It is still the longest Wimbledon final in history, clocking in at four hours and 57 minutes.

With both of them being such fierce rivals, it’s not a surprise that they weren’t able to develop a relationship off the court. However, the two did share some wholesome moments over the years. Djokovic was a part of Team Europe in Federer’s final professional match, which took place at the 2022 Laver Cup. They often sat side-by-side on the bench and were seen chatting or joking around. Djokovic later described Federer’s farewell as “one of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

While Federer hung up his boots in 2022, Djokovic is still going and is ranked No. 12. Though his form has dipped quite a bit, the Serb has still shown some flashes of brilliance. He reached the Australian Open final, defeating two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals.

He also had a strong Wimbledon campaign and reached the semifinals after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in a marathon five-set clash. Most recently, he bagged his first title of the season at the China Open, defeating the likes of Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur in the process.

But he couldn’t continue this form in Shanghai and suffered a 6-4, 6-3 defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in his opening match. Djokovic then decided to participate in the Swiss Indoors in Basel, but things didn’t quite go as planned once again.

Novak Djokovic suffers a Round of 16 exit in Roger Federer’s hometown

After narrowly getting past Ugo Humbert 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening match, Djokovic succumbed to Jan-Lennard Struff in the Round of 16. It proved to be quite a close affair that went down to the wire. But Struff eventually triumphed 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 to cause the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

Djokovic praised Struff after the match for his precise serves that played a critical role in his victory. For context, the German hit 27 aces during the match in comparison to Djokovic’s tally of 21.

“It hurts that I lost, you know, he just played amazing tennis,” he said during the post-match press conference. “I don’t remember playing against someone who was this aggressive and this precise. He went with two first serves, and it was just one of those matches.”

Djokovic will now head to the Paris Masters, which could very well turn out to be his final tournament of the season. He will have to reach at least the semifinals of the event to even stand a chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals. Looking at his current form, it seems unlikely that he will be able to make a deep run. But a player like him can never be truly underestimated.