“I would say Nadal would be the one that probably stands out [as] my biggest opponent and biggest rival” : Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic has named Rafael Nadal as his biggest and toughest rival over his playing career. The two players have shared the court on multiple occasions, and have given their fans some memorable matches in the past 15 years. Rafael Nadal announced his retirement from tennis last season, as Novak Djokovic remains the only member of the Big Three to be competing on the tour.
Novak Djokovic returns to action at the Doha Open this week after he was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open semifinals owing to a hamstring injury. The Serbian will face the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini in an entertaining first round clash.
Ahead of the Qatar Open, Novak Djokovic was asked about his toughest rival till date. The Serbian mentioned that they had to be the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, however if given a choice, he would pick the former.
“You probably know the names Federer and Nadal,” he said. “I would say Nadal would be the one that probably stands out [as] my biggest opponent and biggest rival.”
Novak Djokovic describes how he started playing tennis
Novak Djokovic revealed how he started playing tennis from a very early age. The Serbian stated that he grew up in the mountains, and started playing the sport accidentally at the age of four.
“I grew up on the mountains in my country, and that’s where I actually started to play tennis when I was four or five years old,” he said.
“It happened by accident, even though in life there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason. I saw a couple of tennis courts that were being made, and I was helping the workers to make the tennis court. I was, of course, very young and very curious.”
“In return for me bringing them drinks and helping them construct the tennis court, I got free hours, when the courts were being made. That’s that’s how I fell in love with this beautiful sport.”
Novak Djokovic has achieved almost everything the sport has to offer. He completed his trophy cabinet last season, when he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the finals of the Paris Olympics to win the Olympic gold medal. The Serbian has been struggling with injuries since the past couple of months, which also hampered his chances of winning his 11th Australian Open title.
Novak Djokovic returns to the court once again this week in Doha, as he will look to climb up the rankings in the next couple of months. With as many as five Masters tournaments scheduled for the next three months, the veteran will hope to remain in good shape, as he continues his bid to win a record 25th Grand Slam title.
