Novak Djokovic “still wants to play” even if “a part of (him) left with” his rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, he declared Friday after the announcement of the retirement of the Spanish.
“I always want to play (…). I’m still going on… But it’s certain that a part of me is gone with them,” said the 37-year-old, who is now the last man from the golden age of tennis on the courts, Roger Federer having retired in 2022 and Andy Murray this year.
The Serbian said he was “upset” by the announcement of the retirement of Rafael Nadal, “the biggest rival I ever had”, after qualifying for the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters 1000 by beating the Czech Jakub Mensik, 19 years old.
Nadal announced Thursday that he would retire after the Davis Cup final in November, ending his career of 22 Grand Slam victories. He faced Djokovic 60 times, with a very slight advantage for the Serb (31 to 29).
“The era of the Four Musketeers, so to speak, the four of us and all the rivalries we had, it was incredible,” he said.
