Novak Djokovic has revealed his emotional reaction to the news that his “greatest rival” Rafael Nadal will retire next year. “I felt part of me is leaving with him too,” said the Serbian superstar, who added in a media day at the French Open on Saturday that he has thought about his own retirement since the news.
With the 14-time champion out of this year’s French Open with a hip injury, Djokovic has the chance to overtake the Spaniard and win his 23rd Grand Slam title. “Honestly, I don’t miss him being in the draw,” smiled the world No 3. “I don’t like seeing him in the draw of Roland Garros, to be honest.
“I have not had so much success against him in our records head-to-head in Roland Garros. I have managed to beat him twice, but, I had to leave my heart and my guts out on the court to achieve that. So I know how hard it is to play him anywhere, really, around the world, but especially here.
“But, of course as a tennis fan and someone that is also part of the tennis ecosystem, you always want to win, to see the best tennis players in the world, the most famous tennis players in the world playing.
“So he’s definitely one of the guys that not only has made a history in terms of his records in this tournament overall, but just he won the hearts of many tennis fans around the world, and deservedly so, with his charisma and character and everything that he left in his legacy.”
Djokovic has won only twice in 10 matches against Nadal at Roland Garros – in 2015 and 2021. But the Serb leads their head-to-head in the greatest rivalry in men’s tennis history 30-29. Nadal, who turns 37 next month, recently announced that 2024 will be his final season.
“A lot of people were debating on how long he’s still going to play because of the injuries that he had in the past 10 years,” said double French Open champion Djokovic. “A lot of people retired him 10 years ago but he kept going, which is something I respect and admire.
“Because I know how hard it is to maintain that level, you know, and keep going even after having a tough injury and even after going through so much in your career and achieving so much you still have to kind of find that drive.
“He’s really an exemplary player for that. So for sure he will be missed this season, and hopefully can come back for the last few months of the season, and then he said that next year will be his last.
“That news came in a way as a shock to everybody. People were asking me how I felt when he said that. And I have to say that he’s my biggest rival. When he announced that he’s going to have his last season of career, I felt part of me is leaving with him too, if you know what I mean.
“Maybe I’m not expressing myself well, but because of the rivalry that we had and that we still have, because he’s still active player, I feel that he was one of the most, I would say, impactful people that I have ever had in my career, the growth of my career, and me as a player. Definitely a great motivational factor for me to keep playing and keep competing and keep pushing each other, you know, who’s gonna achieve more, who’s gonna do better.
“It made me wonder, you know, it made me think about my career and how long I’m going to play. So far I’m not going to make any announcement today, but just reflecting on it, I felt also a little bit emotional about what he was saying.”
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