Rafa Nadal’s farewell left almost everyone dissatisfied. After the defeat, decaffeinated and without reaching the value of her career. For this reason, many continue to say goodbye to him. One of them has been Novak Djokovichis great rival, along with Federer, although they have not had the complicity that the Swiss and the Spanish did.
“Rafa, first of all, congratulate you on your incredible career. Your family, your team, yourself, should be very proud of everything you have achieved throughout your career of more than 20 years. In the tennis locker room we will miss your warm-ups, your sprints, your jumps, your incredibly competitive ludothe games you played with your team before the games,” said the Serbian player.
“We had a lot of fun times, sharing a locker room and, you know, I just hope that today, even though it’s a sad day for tennis, Although it is a sad day for Spain and sport in general, that you retire, at the same time I hope that everyone celebrates your career because there is a lot to embrace, a lot to celebrate.
“I think the most important thing, and you will agree with me, is the mark you left in terms of connecting with people, in terms of how you inspired millions of children around the world to pick up a tennis racket. How you transmitted your passion and love for the game, how you behaved on the court. How you showed respect to your opponents, to the entire tennis ecosystem throughout your entire career“.
Djokovic, so competitive on the court, was very complimentary in his goodbye: “Your tenacity, your fighting spirit, the energy you brought every time, the strength, the power, is something that will be studied and it’s something that will be passed on to many, many generations that are coming up and aspiring to be like you as a person and as a great tennis champion.”
And he ended up thanking him for his career: “I have been very honored and excited to have been called your rival for the last 20 years, almost, we have played more than 60 games. I have learned a lot in our meetings and I thank you very much for having made me the player that I am and that I was during the last 20 years”,