"I was trying to avoid Rafael Nadal, my intentions were not to show him I am weak" - When Novak Djokovic tried to hide injury troubles from Spaniard
Novak Djokovic might be a seven-time Wimbledon champion today, but his first win at the tournament did not come until 2011. His first semifinal appearance at SW19 came in 2007, where he had to retire midway through the clash because of an injury.
That fateful day, it was his arch-rival Rafael Nadal who stood across the net from him - their first-ever battle at Wimbledon. The head-to-head between the duo is now 30-29 in favor of Djokovic, but coming into the clash it was 5-1 in favor of the Spaniard.
Speaking at his press conference after retiring Novak Djokovic spoke about the extent of the infection in his foot, revealing that he was bleeding a lot from his small finger and could barely walk on the morning of the battle against Nadal.
"I stop because of the actually blister. It's not just the blister I have. It's a big infection from yesterday after the match. It's on the small finger of the left foot. It's infection, blister infection. I had a big swallow and it's really infected. I didn't sleep during the night because I had a lot of bleeding and everything, so I was barely walking this morning, you know, trying to do everything I can," Djokovic said.
When asked how he acted with Nadal in the locker room before walking onto the court, Djokovic admitted that he tried his best to avoid the Mallorcan and get out of his sight, hoping he would not spot his weakness.
Impressively, the Serb took the opening set 6-3, following which the injury caught up with him and Nadal ended up taking the second 6-1. With Nadal leading 4-1 in the third, Djokovic finally decided to throw in the towel and call it a day.
"We did [come across each other in the locker room]. But I was trying not to -- you know, there's a lot of people around me. I was trying to avoid him and his sight. I was just trying to get away and talk to the people there, you know. My intentions before the match were not to, you know, show him that I am weak, whatever, so he can be an advantage," Novak Djokovic said.
"Like I said, it was in question should I play or not, but I decided to go on the court. First set I played really, really good. Especially I served well. So service helps me to make the points shorter, and I was really aggressive. You know, it resulted with a win of the first set. But, you know, afterwards, as soon as I dropped a little bit with the serve, you know, he used it," he added.
"Rafael Nadal felt sorry that we had to finish this way" - Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic also revealed at the press conference a few details about what happened at the net between him and Rafael Nadal, stating that the Spaniard felt sorry they had to finish the match in the way they did.
The Serb went on to wish Nadal all the best in the final, which unfortunately did not go his way. Roger Federer, the four-time defending champion, ended up beating Nadal in five sets to win his fifth title on the trot at SW19.
"He felt sorry that we had to finish this way. I wish him the best of luck for the finals. You know, he just told me that I had a great tournament, great two weeks. That's all," Djokovic said.