“I have managed to beat him twice, but I had to leave my heart and my guts out on the court to achieve that. So I know how hard it is to play him anywhere, really, around the world, but especially here.”
The Spaniard, a 14-time Roland-Garros champion, owns a 8-2 lifetime record over Djokovic but the Serb owns the 30-29 overall lifetime edge.
No matter the numbers, the rivalry is epic, and Djokovic has immense respect for the King of Clay.
“I feel that he was one of the most, I would say, impactful people that I have ever had in my career, the growth of my career, and me as a player,” he said. “Definitely a great motivational factor for me to keep playing and keep competing and keep pushing each other – you know, who’s gonna achieve more, who’s gonna do better.”
Djokovic admits that Nadal’s announcement has made a big impact him and it has made him think about his tennis mortality as well.
“It made me wonder, it made me think about my career and how long I’m going to play,” he said. “So far I’m not going to make any announcement today, but just reflecting on it, I felt also a little bit emotional about what he was saying.”
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