Novak Djokovic has sent a touching tribute to Rafael Nadal following the announcement of his imminent retirement. The Serbian thanked Nadal for pushing him to the limit throughout their historic rivalry and promised to be present at his last tournament at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.
On Thursday, the 22-time Grand Slam champion shocked the tennis world by revealing his decision to retire. In an emotional video, Nadal told his fans that he will represent Spain one last time in the Davis Cup before hanging up his racket.
As tributes and messages of love poured in from all corners of the world, Djokovic joined the wave of admiration. On Instagram, the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who holds more titles than Nadal, highlighted how his colleague has inspired millions of children to take up tennis with his “fighting spirit” and other admirable attributes.
Reiterating once again that it is the rivalry with Nadal that inspired him most as a player, Djokovic wished the former world No. 1 a happy farewell before adding that he himself will travel to Malaga to see him in person.
“Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport. You have inspired millions of children to take up tennis and I think that is probably the greatest achievement anyone could wish for. Your tenacity, dedication and fighting spirit will be taught for decades. Your legacy will live on forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general,” Djokovic said.
“Thank you for pushing me to the limit so many times in our rivalry that has left the biggest mark on me as a player. 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,” he added.
In the post, Djokovic also included some photos of himself and Nadal together, chronicling their journeys together, from twenty-somethings battling each other on the tennis court to veterans on the tour.
“I can’t choose anyone other than Rafael Nadal as my biggest rival” – Novak Djokovic
In an interview with TennisTV earlier this year, Novak Djokovic made it clear that he considered Rafael Nadal his “biggest rival,” regardless of the Spaniard’s ranking or how healthy he was when he stepped onto the court.
The pair will end their career with 60 ATP Tour meetings, the most in history. Of those, 31 have ended in favour of the Serb, while the Spaniard has won 29 over the years.
“I can’t pick anyone else but Nadal as my biggest rival. As long as Nadal is playing, as long as I’m playing, Nadal will always be my biggest rival,” Novak Djokovic said. “Regardless of the rankings or what’s going on on the tour. Just because of the history of our rivalry and all that… Nadal and I have known each other for a long time, so he’s definitely ahead of me. ”
The last meeting between Nadal and Djokovic was at the Paris Olympics, where the latter won in straight sets in the second round en route to the gold medal.
