Since Rafael Nadal defeated the Serbian player in the Paris Olympics, Novak Djokovic has given an explanation for why he finds it impossible to be friends with the man.
In one hour and forty-four minutes, Djokovic defeated Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, on Court Philippe-Chatrier yesterday afternoon.
Djokovic, who was previously the only person to defeat the Spaniard twice, is now the first person to defeat Nadal three times at Stade Roland Garros.
15 – Novak Djokovic is the first player to win 15 Men’s Singles matches at the Olympics since tennis returned to the Summer Olympic program in Seoul 1988. Zeus.#Olympics #OlympicGames #Paris2024 | @Paris2024 @atptour pic.twitter.com/2VRLcnWCu5
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) July 29, 2024
Following the match, Djokovic responded to a question concerning their relationship by saying, “I think there is no brotherhood really.” Nadal is not someone he is particularly close to. There is more rivalry, respect for one another’s accomplishments, and appreciation for what each of us has accomplished and contributed to the sport.
Following the match, Djokovic responded to a question concerning their relationship by saying, “I think there is no brotherhood really.” Nadal is not someone he is particularly close to. There is more rivalry, respect for one another’s accomplishments, and appreciation for what each of us has accomplished and contributed to the sport.
The 37-year-old went on, “To be honest, it’s difficult to be close. Since you don’t want to provide personal details about yourself or how you’re feeling because that could expose you, we are each other’s fiercest competitors.
“I don’t think at that level you can really connect so close to anybody really, so I guess that’s one of the reasons why we didn’t connect so close.”
Nevertheless, Djokovic hasn’t ruled out getting closer to Nadal after they both retire from competition. Who knows, though? We both have a long life ahead of us, and since we value our families, when our careers are done, we should be able to address other aspects of our relationships and look back on our shared experiences and memorable times in a new light.
The 60th meeting between the two occurred during their match in the Paris Olympic Games’ second round, making it the most matches between two men in the Open Era.
Given all of the conjecture, especially with regard to Rafael Nadal’s prospects in the game, Djokovic disclosed if he believed this to be their last meeting.
Glad our epic rivalry is still a blockbuster, @RafaelNadal. Good luck in the doubles. Idemooo Srbija! Слава Богу pic.twitter.com/A6T5OJIxRn
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 30, 2024
Djokovic retorted, “Of course it can be, but we don’t know that.” It truly relies on a variety of circumstances, including whether or not we will continue and whether or not we will compete in the same events. We both seem to desire to compete in the biggest events and Grand Slams, I believe.
“I can speak for myself when I say that we will likely be very selective, and I will also be quite selective about the tournaments that I play in. I only hope that we get to play each other once, or perhaps several times, on various surfaces in various places of the world for the sake of our rivalry and the sport in general. I believe that this will only be to the sport’s advantage.
“But as I said, I don’t know how he feels in his body, what his plans are, let’s hope we can play some more,” the 24-time major winner continued. Every game is like a gift to us and to the sport itself, therefore I hope we’ll play more.
After it was revealed that Djokovic would not be competing at the next Masters 1000 event in Montreal, it seems that he is retracting his statement about just entering certain tournaments.
Tomorrow, the Serbian will take face German Dominik Koepfer in an attempt to win the coveted gold medal.