Andy Murray has explained why Roger Federer chose not to practice with him after their early sessions and why the Swiss champion avoided training with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Speaking to Stephen Hendry on the Stephen Hendry Cue Tips YouTube channel, Murray recalled his experiences with the top players of his era.
“I would practice with them, I’d practice with Djokovic and Nadal,” Murray said. “When I first started, I would practice with Federer. But after a year or two he stopped, he wouldn’t practice with me anymore. He never practiced with Djokovic or Nadal, I think because he considered them to be a competitor.”
Practicing with rivals
Murray explained that he valued training with Nadal and Djokovic as a way to measure his own level.
“I like practicing with them just because it gave me the chance to see where my game was at,” Murray said. “I wouldn’t practice with them a couple of days before a big match, but a couple weeks out from a major tournament, then I would practice with those guys.”
He added that while he respected his rivals, he did not socialize with them during his career. “I was never going for dinner with them. Whereas now I’d love to do that, see them a few times socially.”
Rivalry with Federer
Federer and Murray shared a fierce rivalry on the court, meeting 25 times. Federer won 14 of those encounters, including three Grand Slam finals. Murray claimed one of their most significant matches at the London 2012 Olympics, where he defeated Federer to win gold.
The difficulty of friendships at the top
Murray reflected on the challenges of building friendships with direct competitors.
“Generally, if I’m socialising with friends and family, you want to feel like you can tell them if you’re struggling with something,” Murray said. “But if you’re competing against them, you wouldn’t do it.”
Stephen Hendry compared Murray’s experiences to snooker, noting that Ronnie O’Sullivan and Judd Trump also kept their distance from rivals on tour.
Federer’s decision to avoid practicing with his closest competitors highlights the intensity of rivalries at the highest level of tennis. Murray’s reflections show how competition shaped relationships among the sport’s greatest players, balancing respect with the need to maintain an edge.
Novak Djokovic in 2025
Currently ranked no.4, the Serbian played his last match on the 8th of November when he beat world no.8 Lorenzo Musetti 4-6 6-3 7-5 in the final in Athens to win his 101st career title.
This year Djokovic has a composed 39-11 win-loss record. The Serbian conquered 2 titles in 2025 in Geneva and Athens. Djokovic was the runner-up in Miami.
Djokovic will compete next in Brisbane (Brisbane International). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 29th of December.