Novak Djokovic hopes to play Rafael Nadal one last time at the French Open: “It would be great to have another great encounter”
Novak Djokovic returns to the tour once again this week at the Monte Carlo Masters. The Serbian is the top seed for the first of three Masters tournaments on clay courts. The 24-time Grand Slam champion last featured in action at the Indian Wells Masters, where he was defeated by Luca Nardi in three sets in the third round.
Rafael Nadal announced last week that he would not be competing at the Monte Carlo Masters, as there are question marks as to whether he would ever play professional tennis again. In his pre-tournament interview, Novak Djokovic stated that it would be a shame if Rafael Nadal retires without playing at least one tournament.
The Serbian hopes to play at least one more match with Rafael Nadal, and most preferably at Roland Garros. The two players have shared some epic encounters over the last decade and a half.
“As a tennis fan I want him to play at least one more tournament before he retires. We all know what he’s done on clay in his career, particularly Roland Garros. That’s his goal, we all know that, he’s been saying it. For the sake of all tennis and Roland Garros in particular, we hope that he can play there. It would be great to have another great encounter,” said Djokovic to Eurosport in an interview.
“He’s been always like an older brother to me” : Novak Djokovic on Nenad Zimonjic
Novak Djokovic split with his long term coach Goran Ivanisevic last month. The Serbian is now working with Nenad Zimonjic, who was ranked number one in Doubles during his playing days. Novak Djokovic spoke about the influence the veteran has had on his life and career over the years.
“We have known each other really well for more than 20 years. He’s been always like an older brother to me. A mentor, a friend, who always tried to help me as a person and as a player. When I stopped with Goran, I was starting my clay-court preparation in Belgrade and he was there. He came to the court, and we really enjoyed our collaboration, and I asked him to come here for a few weeks,” said Djokovic.
“We are trying to make the most of it. He’s been giving me really useful advice to find the proper position when I’m approaching the net, and it’s something I’m not best at because I don’t play as many doubles matches,” he added.
As for Novak Djokovic, he has not had an ideal start to his 2024 season. He has competed in just tournaments so far, losing to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open. The 36-year-old will hope to return to his best at the Monte Carlo Masters this week, as he takes on the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who have dominated the tour over the past couple of months.
