A World No. 1 rocking up to practise only to find the opponent for his next big clash using his practice court would be enough to send many archrivals into a tailspin. Not Novak Djokovic if that opponent is Stan Wawrinka.

After claiming the 25^th installment in their rivalry in the BNP Parisbas Masters in Paris on Saturday, the Serb shed some light on the practice double booking. “He stole my court,” Djokovic joked, before explaining the relationship he shared with the only player to have beaten him in the majors in the past two years.

“I feel like (I have) a very special relationship with Stan, I think like no other top player, honestly. I do appreciate that. I do enjoy that good relationship we have. I think that was strengthened even more after Roland Garros final.”

It was in that final that the Swiss player denied Djokovic the career Grand Slam, the only major final he would lose in 2015. It would be the second time Wawrinka had defeated the Serb on his way to a Grand Slam title.

“Of course it was probably the biggest win he ever had and it was disappointing for me to lose that, but I felt like we had that special connection in the end,” Djokovic said. “Look, at the end of the day, we are friends, we are people. Of course we both want to win. When we get on the court, it’s all about business and getting the job done. You do everything that you can to win. But once the match is over, I mean, why not share some nice moments and joke around?”

Djokovic downplayed talk of Wawrinka being the player whose heavy, flashy shot-making had the ability to scare him more than any other player’s. “He scares me with his presence, with his fancy shorts from Roland Garros,” he grinned. “He is trying to provoke me with that, he put it on the bag. We were joking around in the locker-room about that.

“Definitely he’s one of the players that can push me backwards. The game at this level, most of the players are trying to protect the baseline, trying to own the baseline and trying to dictate the play.  So it’s a little bit of play of cat and mouse who can stay on the line more.

“I agree that he’s definitely one of the guys that can do that.  Not scare me, but push me back, back and forth.”