Not only because of the quantity, but also because of the quality of his battles, it is clear that the best version of Novak Djokovic has been seen against Rafael Nadal. At least the most consistent. In the midst of the constant praise that Roger Federer received in the Laver Cup, the Serbian tennis player made it clear that his main rivalry on the court has been developed with the Spaniard, and not with the Swiss.
Now at his next stop in Tel Aviv, “Nole” explained why he considers Nadal to be the most challenging rival he has had in his career and that he will continue to have as long as they remain active. “Every player I face in a tournament is my rival, every tennis player I face ends up being my rival and I want to beat him, but if you ask me who my biggest rival is, that’s Rafa, without a doubt.
He’s still there , we are the rivalry that has seen each other the most times in the history of this sport, it is a very special rivalry that is still there. I hope to have the opportunity to face him many more times, because it is exciting for us, but also for the tennis and sports community”, commented the winner of 21 Grand Slams.
In total, Djokovic and Nadal have played a total of 59 clashes where the Serbian won 30 and lost 29. But in turn, the Serbian is clear that the New Generation has been gaining ground: “Now there is (Carlos) Alcaraz, number one world champion and Grand Slam champion, has emerged as the leader of the younger generation, and there are still names like (Daniil) Medvedev, (Stefanos) Tsitsipas, (Alexander) Zverev or (Andrey) Rublev, who have already been in the sport’s elite for a time.”
Rafa Nadal reflects on his retirement
Speaking in a recent interview with Onda Cero, 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal revealed that he wanted to prolong his career a little more before calling it a day. “I would like to say goodbye on court, that’s for sure.
But you never know what future may bring. And, well, it is obvious that I have also had a very long career, that I feel the love and support of many people all over the world, but we will see how it will be, ” Nadal said, in comments translated from Spanish into English by Twitter user Genny SS.
“Right now I don’t think about it because when you already start thinking about it, it is because something doesn’t work in the day to day, right? and although my body in recent times has not worked in my day to day , my head tells me that I still want this to continue and we will see until when,” he added.