Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have formed what is arguably one of tennis’ greatest rivalries, having faced-off a remarkable 59 times, a record in men’s tennis. The Serbian star holds a 30-29 lead, with their clashes to date having taken place over a 16-year period from 2006 to 2022. Also, both tennis stars have won a total of 46 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic leading with 24, two times more than the Spanish legend.
As the argument about who is the GOAT of tennis has been raging strong since the US Open, Djokovic and Nadal have both declared each other as the favourite to take the position of the greatest of all time player.
Is Novak Djokovic friends with Rafael Nadal?
Rafael Nadal has been sidelined since January, after sustaining a hip injury in the second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open. The 37-year-old star underwent a surgery in June, having told fans he would be back in the court after six or eight weeks but that didn’t materialize.
Novak Djokovic had an interview on French TV show Cavous where he discussed his relationship with his Mallorcan contemporary and highlighted the respect the duo shares for each other.
“Rafael Nadal is a very special player for me, he’s not really my friend but we have respect for each other. I hope that after our career, we can have a drink on the beach, talk about life,” Djokovic said.
Novak Djokovic spoke about his rivalry with Nadal at this year’s French Open, where the Spaniard was absent for the first time since 2004 due to his injury. “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,” Djokovic said in a press conference.
“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 [in 2024], I felt part of me is leaving with him too. 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.”
Novak Djokovic is at the Paris Masters 1000 partnering Miomir Kecmanovic in the doubles title and the pair will take on Jannik Sinner and Stan Wawrinka in the opening round. Djokovic will face either Kecmanovic or Tomas Martin Etcheverry in his opening match in the singles.
Rafael Nadal once highly praised Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal who is hoping to be back in the court for the 2024 season believes that there’s only one answer to the argument of who is the greatest men’s tennis player of all time.
“I believe that numbers are numbers and statistics are statistics,” he said in an interview with Spanish newspaper AS. “In that sense, I think [Novak Djokovic] has better numbers than mine and that is indisputable.”
“This is the truth. The rest are tastes, inspiration, sensations that one or the other may transmit to you, that you may like one or the other more. I think that, with respect to titles, Djokovic is the best in history and there is nothing to discuss about that.”
Novak Djokovic broke Nadal’s all-time Grand Slam titles record at the French Open in June and added a 24th major trophy after triumphing over Daniil Medvedev to win the US Open championship.
