Novak Djokovic on Rafael Nadal retiring in 2024I felt part of me is leaving with him too

By India Today Sports DeskNovak Djokovic expressed a mixture of relief and respect after his long-time rival, Rafael Nadal, announced his withdrawal from the French Open 2023 due to a hip injury. While Djokovic jokingly admitted that he didn’t miss seeing Nadal in the tournament draw, he acknowledged the difficulty of facing the Spaniard and the impact he has had on his own career.

Nadal, a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, had been struggling with a hip injury sustained during the Australian Open in January. In a surprising move, he revealed that the 2024 season could mark the end of his professional career.

Djokovic, who shares a record 22 Grand Slam titles with Nadal, has had a challenging history against the Spaniard on the clay courts of Roland Garros, having managed to defeat him only twice in ten meetings. The Serbian player humorously remarked about his struggles, stating that he had to give his all to achieve those victories.

Expressing his admiration for Nadal’s resilience, Djokovic recognised the difficulty of maintaining a high level of play after enduring a significant injury. He credited Nadal for pushing him to become a better player and acknowledged him as his biggest rival.

“Honestly, I don’t miss him being in the draw. I don’t like seeing him in the draw of Roland Garros,” Djokovic said in a press conference. “I have had not so much success against him in our head-to-head record in Roland Garros.

“I’ve managed to beat him twice, but I had to leave my heart and my guts out on the court to achieve that. A lot of people retired him already 10 years ago but he kept going, which is something I respect and admire. I know how hard it is to maintain that level and keep going even after having a tough injury.”

NADAL’S INFLUENCE ON DJOKOVIC

Nadal’s retirement plans had a profound impact on Djokovic, who admitted feeling a sense of loss at the thought of his rival leaving the sport. He described Nadal as one of the most influential figures in his career and expressed his motivation to continue playing and competing at a high level.

With Nadal potentially retiring in 2024, Djokovic will be the last remaining member of the legendary “Big Three” on the professional tennis circuit, following Roger Federer’s retirement in the previous year. While Djokovic reflected on his own career and the duration of his playing days, he didn’t make any immediate announcements about his future.

“I have to say that he’s my biggest rival. When he announced that he’s going to have his last season of (his) career, I felt part of me is leaving with him too,” Djokovic added. “I feel that he was one of the most 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 – who’s going achieve more, who’s going to do better.

“It made me wonder, 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, but just reflecting on it, I also felt a little bit emotional about what he was saying,” Djokovic added.