Novak Djokovic surprises with his confession. The Serb gave an interview in which he addressed Rafael Nadal’s absence from Roland Garros and how the end of Nadal’s career is affecting his retirement plans. His statement shocked.
Novak Djokovic is one of the so-called The Big Three, who appeared in Paris at Roland Garros.
The Big Three is a term used in tennis to describe the three players who have dominated the sport and all its tournaments over the past two decades. The Big Three are: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic. Their dominance is slowly coming to an end with Federer retiring in 2022 and Nadal planning to do the same at the end of next season. So only Novak Djokovic will remain in the fight, who, although in great physical shape, admits that Nadal’s retirement changes a lot for him.
“We played at Roland Garros the last three years in a row. Each of our meetings is a thriller. Every time I go out against him for a game, I know I have to leave my heart on the court to win. Beating Rafa at Roland Garros is the biggest challenge in our sport, and in sport in general. I’ve been lucky enough to win against him twice, but I’ve lost many more. Our clashes have always been an opportunity for us to check at what stage and level our tennis is in relation to each other, but also to a given surface. This triangle of us, Rafa, me, Roger, is important for the fans and for the discipline. Now that Roger has left and Rafa has announced that he will be retiring next year, it’s hard for me to fit in. His decision made me reflect. It was a strange feeling. While we all know we’re going to leave, it’s a strange feeling when Rafa leaves. We’ve spent more time together in the last two decades than I see my parents. He is an integral part of my career, who I am as a player and who I am in general. I know we weren’t friends when we played so much against each other, but I hope we will be friends after our careers end. – confessed Novak Djokovic.
So far, Novak has been rather silent about his future relationship with Nadal. It is a pleasant surprise that he would like rivals to become friends.
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