Despite suffering an opening-round loss to Alexander Zverev, Rafael Nadal remains one of the biggest talking points of the French Open 2024. Hence, several players are being asked to speak about the Spaniard during their conversation with the media. Novak Djokovic obliged the media by naming a few iconic encounters that he’s had with his “greatest rival” at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic is the most accomplished ATP player in Grand Slam history. However, he’s had trouble winning the French Open. It goes without saying that Rafael Nadal has been his biggest obstacle in the past. Djokovic was quoted as saying in a media interaction –
“It’s the highest mountain to climb for me to win Roland Garros, particularly because of Nadal, because I always have to win against him in order to get to the title,” Djokovic said.
The World No.1 also revealed a few memorable clashes that he’s had against the Raging Bull at the tournament. Despite beating Nadal on two occasions – 2015 and 2021 – Djokovic selflessly first mentioned the nail-biter clash from 2013 (Rafa won 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–7, 9–7 in the semis) that is often regarded as their greatest match ever on clay.
“We had some really amazing encounters over the years. A couple of matches that really stand out that we played here against each other were that five-setter that he won, it was 9-7 in the fifth, semi-finals of 2013,” Djokovic added, per ATP Tour.
The Serb then went on to shed light on the only two occasions when he upset the King of Clay.
“Then, he didn’t play his best, but I played probably the best match I ever played against him on clay here when I won against him in the quarters the year I lost in the final, 2015. When I won here in 2021, we played again, a very long semi-final, deep in the night. Same thing the year after, he beat me in quarters, also night session, 7-6 in the fourth,” Djokovic concluded.
Further gushing over Rafa’s performance at the French Open, Novak also spoke about an underrated aspect of his rival’s game. While Nadal was always known for his topspin forehands, the Mallorca native significantly improved his backhand as he got older.
Novak Djokovic Lauds Rafael Nadal for Reinventing Himself With Age
Rafael Nadal was unbeatable on clay for nearly two decades. However, according to Novak Djokovic, Rafa was able to maintain his form on the surface because of being able to adapt his game, after realising his limitations.
Improving his backhand was key for the 22-time Grand Slam winner that allowed him to elongate his peak, as per Djokovic. He further added –
“I have experienced first-hand his evolution as a player. I actually think that he improved his backhand as he was getting older. He was probably conscious of physical struggles that he had and he had to be more aggressive on the court.
“He was still topspinning the forehand better than anybody has ever done it and he still kept that incredible defence and offence on the forehand. But I think with the backhand, he was just able to handle the high balls better than he was maybe at the beginning of our encounters.”
The media loves to believe that Djokovic and Nadal have a bitter rivalry. While they were archrivals for nearly 20 years within the four lines, they hold each other in great regard off the court. Such comments only prove that there is no jealousy between the two tennis legends, no matter how many fan wars take place.
