Spanish tennis icon Rafael Nadal has addressed recent comments made by rival Novak Djokovic, who admitted to feeling ‘intimidated’ by Nadal’s pre-match routine during their encounters at the French Open. In their 18 Grand Slam meetings, the two tennis titans have clashed 10 times on the clay courts of Roland Garros, with Nadal boasting an impressive 8-2 winning record. Djokovic, the only player to defeat Nadal twice at the French Open, revealed his initial irritation with Nadal’s close-quarters warm-up routine, expressing how the Spaniard’s energetic pre-match preparations used to ‘piss him off.’
In a recent interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes, Djokovic shared insights into the challenges of sharing a locker room with Nadal in Paris, stating, “I’m playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close. And we’re tryin’ to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big.” Djokovic described how Nadal’s intense warm-up routine, including sprints and audible music, initially left him feeling ‘intimidated.’ However, he later revealed that he transformed this intimidation into motivation throughout his career.
Responding to Djokovic’s comments, Nadal clarified that his intention was never to intimidate the World No. 1 but to focus on his own warm-up routine. “It was never, never, never my intention. I warm up like this. I try to be prepared and ready to go, and I exercise, nothing more. I haven’t heard what he said, honestly,” Nadal stated in an interview with Spanish publication El Pais.
Nadal also provided insights into his different approaches when facing Djokovic and his other arch-rival, Roger Federer. While acknowledging Djokovic’s enhancements in his strengths over the years, Nadal highlighted the strategic chess game he played against Federer. In contrast, he characterized matches against Djokovic as requiring a consistently high level of performance, emphasizing the absence of the same level of strategic gameplay. With this, Nadal sheds light on the nuanced dynamics that shape his battles against two of the greatest players in tennis history.
Novak Djokovic in 2024
Currently the world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 31st
of December 2023 when he overcame world no.58 Zhizhen Zhang 6-3 6-2 in the round robin in Australia (draw).Until now, during this year Djokovic owns a 1-0 match record.
Djokovic is scheduled to compete next at the Australian Open (Australian Open). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 14th of January.
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Currently ranked no.672, Nadal played his last match on the 18th of January 2023 when he capitulated to world no.41 Mackenzie Mcdonald 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the 2nd round of the Australian Open (draw).
Currently, during this season Rafael achieved an overall 1-3 match record.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faced off 59 times. The head to head is 30-29 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they played each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in the quarter in Paris (French Open) in May 2022.
In the following video you can watch the key moments of their match.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal |
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