Now ahead of Federer's final match at the Laver Cup, Djokovic recalled the match before the two shared an epic banter. Here's what happened:
Reporter: Pick the battles against Federer that came to his mind first
Djokovic: Well, I'll pick my first Grand Slam finals, US Open 2007. I lost that match.
Federer: He's being nice now (laughter). Thank you, Novak.
Djokovic: I haven't finished. (Laughter.)
Federer: We are going to get to the other 20-plus matches. (Laughter.)
Djokovic: That was the first Grand Slam final obviously, was remarkable experience for me at the time. Kind of the first match that allowed me to believe that I belonged to that level. 2019, sorry, Roger, finals of Wimbledon.
Federer: What happened? I've blocked it out. (Laughter.)
At the press conference, Djokovic also credited rivalry against both Federer and Nadal for helping him to become the player he is today.
"Of course it's a huge privilege and honor to be on this team, and considering what I have personally gone through on the court with Roger over the years, at the beginning of my career I was losing most of the matches between Roger and Rafa in the Grand Slams, and they have contributed a lot to the player I am today to figuring out how I can turn the tables. So I'm very grateful to be part of that era," Djokovic said.
"Of course we always wanted to win against each other," Djokovic continued. "We always wanted to be better than each other. But as Rafa said, you know, on a personal level, of course it's different. It's a sad day for tennis but just sport in general. But, you know, Roger's legacy will live forever. That's for sure."
