Murray reveals a secret habit of Federer during his career: never practicing with the Big Three

At the beginning of his career, Murray was overshadowed by these three legendary opponents, but he steadily established himself and eventually became a player capable of challenging them equally.

Murray retired officially in 2024, finishing his career with three Grand Slam championships, achieving the world number one ranking, and winning two Olympic gold medals, in addition to many other accolades. Now 38 years old, he looks back on his tennis journey with fondness. Recently, during an appearance on Stephen Hendry’s show "Cue Tips," Murray spoke about a detail that set Federer apart from Nadal and Djokovic.

Throughout his career, Murray often trained with Nadal and Djokovic. Early on, he also practiced with Federer, but this changed soon after he made a breakthrough on the tour. Murray said that the Swiss maestro never practiced with his two main rivals, and as Murray’s status rose, he found himself “excluded.”

“I would train with them, with Djokovic and Nadal. At the start, I also trained with Federer. But after a year or two, he stopped practicing with me; he wouldn’t practice against me anymore. He also never trained with Djokovic or Nadal, probably because he saw them as his true rivals,” Murray explained.

Murray admitted he enjoyed training with these top players because it helped him gauge his actual level. However, such practice sessions usually took place some time before major tournaments, not right before matches. As for socializing privately, they barely interacted back then, but now he actually looks forward to those kinds of interactions.

“I liked training with them because it gave me a chance to see where I really stood. I wouldn’t train with them just days before an important match, but about two weeks before a Grand Slam, I would practice with them. Back then, I never ate with them. Now, I’d really like to do that and spend more time with them off the court,” Murray added.

Over time, Murray’s relationship with these three rivals evolved continuously. Among them, his close bond with Djokovic remains especially strong, a friendship that eventually led to an unexpected outcome—Murray becoming the coach of his former adversary.

Murray and Djokovic’s career paths seem destined to intertwine. Born just a week apart, with Murray being slightly older, they even attended training camps together as children; their rivalry dates back to their youth—meeting in the U14 tournament “Les Petits As” in 2001.

Their first encounter ended with Murray’s victory, a 6-0, 6-1 sweep over Djokovic. However, as professionals, Djokovic gradually gained the upper hand, with their head-to-head record concluding at 25 wins to 11 in favor of the Serbian.

After Murray retired, their relationship took an unexpected turn. At the end of 2024, following Goran Ivanišević’s departure, Djokovic hired his former rival Murray as his new coach.

With Murray’s guidance, Djokovic reached the semifinals of the 2025 Australian Open and finished runner-up at the Miami Open. The partnership ended in May 2025, but they have maintained a good relationship since then.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Huohua)