“He has been my biggest rival. “The rivalry I have had with him has been the one that has marked my career the most, by far.” This is how Novak Djokovic defined Rafael Nadala day after the Spaniard announced that he will retire from tennis in November, after the Davis Cup.
“We knew that this moment would come sooner or later, but it was shocking all the same”added the Serbian in statements to the press this Friday, after qualifying for the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters 1,000 after beating the Czech Jakun Mensik (65th) 6-7 (4), 6-1 and 6-4.
Djokovic, number 4 in the ATP ranking, will seek his place in the Chinese final this Saturday from 8 (Argentine time) when he will face the American Taylor Fritz (7th). Earlier, from 5:30, the other semi will be played with the world number one, the Italian Jannik Sinner, and the Czech Tomas Machac (33rd).
But returning to Nadal, amidst all the praise, the Serbian also lamented that the Mallorcan’s physical problems “no longer allowed him to play at a consistently high level” and forced him to retire at the age of 38 (Nole is 37).
“It is hard news for the world of tennis and sports in general. Rafa is an inspiration for millions of children around the worldso you can be very proud of your career. I have a lot of respect for him and the legacy he has created. “It has impacted me a lot as a player,” the Balkan player said.
The rivalry between Djokovic and Nadal have marked the Open Era of tennis, being the ones who have the most matches against each other with no less than 60exceeding 50 between the Serbian and Roger Federer and 40 between the Spanish and the Swiss.
And things have been even, just deciding in favor of the Serbian when Rafa began to have his string of injuries. The mark is 31 wins for Nole against 29 for the Spanish. 28 of these matches were in finals, with 15 victories for the Serbian. Meanwhile, Nadal took advantage in Grand Slam duels, winning 11 of the 18 they had.
Regarding the proximity of retirement on his part, since this year Andy Murray also said goodbye and two seasons ago the great Federer did, Djokovic reflected: “It’s a little overwhelming for me, I don’t know what to think. I still enjoy competing, but an important part of me is leaving with them.”
Besides, Djokovic confirmed that he will be in the final phase of the Davis Cup in Malaga to witness Nadal’s farewell, taking advantage of the fact that he has residence in the town of Marbella.
“Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Spanish Davis Cup team. I will be there in person to pay tribute to your stellar career,” said the Serbian, who will return to meet on court with Nadal later this month during the “6 Kings Slam” exhibition to be played in Saudi Arabia, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Sinner and Daniil Medvedev.
The Davis Finals will be played from November 19 to 24 and Spain will play the quarterfinals against the Netherlands. It is worth remembering that this edition has the Argentina’s return to the definition phase, where it will face Italy. The other quarterfinal matches have the United States-Australia on the Argentine side and Canada-Germany on the Spanish side.
