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Paris : The 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic mirrored on the challenges he confronted whereas enjoying towards the 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and hailed the tennis nice Spaniard as his “greatest-ever rival.”
The Serbian has confronted the Spaniard 59 instances, which is nineteen greater than Nadal and Roger Federer mixed.
Djokovic heaped accolades on Nadal and the Serbian believes that one of the vital difficult points of profitable Roland Garros was having to face the ‘King of Clay’ Nadal.
Djokovic, the highest seed in Paris for the subsequent two weeks, is hoping for his fourth main title. Although three Grand Slam titles are nothing to scoff at, there was one man who has persistently stood in Djokovic’s approach at Roland Garros, the place Nadal has an 8-2 document versus Djokovic, together with three remaining wins.
“He has been the best rival that I ever had. Matches towards him on clay have annoyed me a lot in my profession. However additionally they made me a greater participant, made me perceive what it takes to attempt to surpass him, attempt to win not less than a few times at Roland Garros,” Djokovic mentioned as quoted by ATP.
“It is the best mountain to climb for me to win Roland Garros, significantly due to Nadal, as a result of I at all times should win towards him so as to get to the title,” he added.
Djokovic is not going to should face Nadal if he needs to win a record-breaking twenty fifth main title this week. The Spaniard, who was making his probably remaining Roland Garros debut, misplaced a first-round thriller towards fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
Whereas this can be a consolation for the World No. 1 within the ATP Rankings, followers will lose out on one other instalment of one of many sport’s biggest rivalries, even when a potential encounter wouldn’t have occurred till the semi-finals.
“I believe he peaked quite a lot of instances towards me, in Roland Garros significantly. I performed him right here for the primary time again in 2006 after which the final time we performed was in 2022. I’ve skilled first-hand his evolution as a participant. I really assume that he improved his backhand as he was getting older. He was most likely aware of bodily struggles that he had and he needed to be extra aggressive on the courtroom,” Djokovic mentioned.
“He was nonetheless topspinning the forehand higher than anyone has ever finished it and he nonetheless saved that unbelievable defence and offence on the forehand. However I believe with the backhand, he was simply capable of deal with the excessive balls higher than he was perhaps initially of our encounters,” he added.
Djokovic leads Nadal 30-29 of their Lexus ATP Head-to-Head sequence, with their final two conferences at Roland Garros in 2022 and 2021. The 98-time tour-level champion recounted a few of their most spectacular clashes on the French Open, together with a outstanding four-hour, 37-minute semi-final in 2013 that Nadal gained deep into the fifth set.
“We had some actually wonderful encounters over time. A few matches that actually stand out that we performed right here towards one another had been that five-setter that he gained, it was 9-7 within the fifth, semi-finals of 2013,” Djokovic mentioned.
“Then, he did not play his greatest, however I performed most likely one of the best match I ever performed towards him on clay right here once I gained towards him within the quarters the 12 months I misplaced within the remaining, 2015. After I gained right here in 2021, we performed once more, a really lengthy semi-final, deep within the evening. Similar factor the 12 months after, he beat me in quarters, additionally evening session, 7-6 within the fourth,” mentioned the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
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