Novak Djokovic admits that Rafael Nadal’s announcement that he would retire in 2024 made him think about his own retirement. Nadal, who turns 37 on June 3, recently announced his plans to retire from professional tennis next year.
Djokovic, who turned 36 on May 22, won the Australian Open earlier this year and still appears to be a very strong force in men’s tennis. “I was wondering, it got me thinking about my career and how long I’m going to play.
So far I’m not going to make any announcement today, but just thinking about it, I was also a little emotional about what he said,” Djokovic said The West Australian.
Djokovic on Nadal’s absence from the French Open
During his pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic was asked about Nadal’s absence from the French Open for the first time since his debut at the tournament in 2005.
Nadal is a record 14-time French Open winner and has beaten Djokovic nine times at Roland Garros. Djokovic jokingly admitted that he’s not really sad about not seeing Nadal in the main draw of the French Open.
“Honestly, I don’t miss his participation in the draw. I don’t like seeing him in the Roland Garros draw. I didn’t have that much success against him in our direct duel in Roland Garros.
I managed to beat him twice but I had to put my heart and guts on the pitch to make it happen. A lot of people already retired him 10 years ago, but he’s carried on, which I respect and admire.
I know how difficult it is to maintain this level and continue even after a serious injury,” Djokovic said. In these two weeks, Djokovic aims to win his third French Open title and set a new all-time Grand Slam record with 23 Major titles.
2023-05-29 21:03:44
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