Novak Djokovic hopes for one more match against Rafael Nadal, says "it would be nice for the sport"
Novak Djokovic seems to be missing one of his closest rivals on the ATP Tour and hopes to play one more contest against Rafael Nadal.
The World No. 1 is currently in Turin, Italy, to play in the ATP Finals. However, the year-end championships' roster this year is missing Nadal. The Spaniard only played at the Australian Open in 2023 and suffered an injury during his second-round match against Mackenzie McDonald. Since then, he has been out of action and is nursing back to fitness.
Nadal has confirmed reports that he will return to the ATP Tour in 2024, and Novak Djokovic, for one, is looking forward to his return. In the press conference after beating Hubert Hurkacz at the ATP Finals on Thursday, November 16, the Serb spoke about the impending return of the Spanish maverick.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was asked whether he was looking forward to once again facing his arch-rival. Djokovic appeared excited at the prospect of playing against Nadal and opined that it would be an excellent spectacle for the sport of tennis when the two men take the court.
"I think it would be nice for the sport to have at least one more match between Nadal and me. That's the biggest rivalry in terms of the amount of matches played that this sport ever had. Hopefully that can happen," Djokovic said.
The Serb dubbed the 22-time Grand Slam champion a "warrior" who will emerge stronger after a long injury layoff. He praised the Spaniard's fighting spirit and zeal to return to the sport.
"He's a big warrior. He's somebody that really never gives up. With all the injuries that he had, keeps going. That's definitely something that you have to respect and admire about him and his spirit. For the world of tennis, no doubt that it's amazing news that he'll be back," the Serb continued.
Djokovic and Nadal have locked horns on the ATP Tour 59 times, with the former having a slight 30 to 29 edge on head-to-head. They last played in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, which Nadal won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).
How has Novak Djokovic performed at the 2023 ATP Finals so far?
The six-time ATP Finals champion began his campaign in Turin with a tough three-set win against Holger Rune, 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3, on November 13. However, the 36-year-old's 19-match winning streak, which began at the Cincinnati Masters, was snapped in the second group stage match against Jannik Sinner.
The home favorite rallied the raucous crowd at Pala Alpitour to outlast the Belgrade native, 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2), on November 15. Djokovic then won another three-setter in his last group stage match against Hubert Hurckacz, who was playing as an alternative to Stefanos Tsitsipas, 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1.
The Serb is yet to book his spot in the knockout stage of the ATP Finals. His qualification depends on the Jannik Sinner vs Holger Rune matchup. The defending champion will confirm a semifinal spot if Sinner wins the contest. However, if Rune wins, the spot will be out of the Serb's hands.