Novak Djokovic: "The rivalry is very special; We are not giving up that easy, Nadal and myself"
At the Laver Cup, Novak Djokovic was quite clear in saying that Rafael Nadal continues to be his biggest rival when asked about the possibility of Carlos Alcaraz being his new toughest opponent on tour. The Serb reiterated his stance and believes that he and Nadal have more epic matches yet to play, suggesting that they are not giving in to the rising pressure from the Next Gen.
Djokovic and Nadal went from rivals to teammates this past weekend at the Laver Cup. Now that the tournament is over, they will resume their on-court rivalry and battle for more Grand Slams as they aim to regain the World No. 1 spot, currently held by Alcaraz.
While Nadal is back home due to personal circumstances, Djokovic needs some match time and arrived in Israel for the Tel Aviv Open this week. Speaking during a pre-tournament press conference, the Serbian great reflected on his rivalry with Nadal and once again declared that the Spaniard remains his biggest rival.
"Everyone is my rival. Whoever I step out on court against is my rival and I want to win against him. When it comes to who is my biggest rival, it is Nadal, without a doubt. He's still there," Novak Djokovic said.
He further highlighted the fact that the rivalry between the iconic tennis duo has seen the most matches (59) for any head-to-head among male players in tennis history. Despite playing their first match in 2006, their rivalry is still very competitive, with the Serb holding a narrow 30-29 lead.
"We played the most matches against each other of any other rivalry in the history of tennis. So the rivalry is very special and it keeps going. Hopefully, we get a chance to play against each other more times, because I think it's exciting for us but also the tennis fans and sport fans around the world," he added.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion went on to recognize that younger players taking over the mantle from established stars of the sport is a natural order of things in all sports. He believes the same will happen to his generation of players as well, which is fitting in light of Roger Federer's recent retirement signaling the 'end of an era.'
However, Djokovic feels both he and Nadal are not giving up just yet and will continue to battle it out for the biggest titles in the sport alongside the Next Gen.
"It's a natural cycle, things change. They transform to some other players - the responsibilities of carrying on the game. I think it's normal to expect that it will eventually happen. But we are not giving up that easy, Nadal and myself, we are still trying to go strong," he expressed.
The 59th and most recent installment of their rivalry played out in the 2022 French Open quarterfinals, which Nadal won in four sets en route to his 14th French Open title.
"The leader of that younger generation" - Novak Djokovic on Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic spoke about the biggest challengers to him and Nadal in their quest for the biggest titles on the ATP tour. Among them are the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Andrey Rublev.
The Serb made a special mention of Carlos Alcaraz, the current No. 1 and US Open champion, calling him "the leader of that younger generation."
"You have Alcaraz, of course, the new No. 1 in the world and a Grand Slam winner. He is the leader of that younger generation. And you have Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Rublev, these guys who have already been established at the top of the men's game for a while," Djokovic said on the same.
He has played against Alcaraz just once before on tour at the Madrid Open, when the 19-year-old Spaniard stunned the Serbian great with a 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) win in their semifinal clash. Alcaraz won his encounter against Djokovic a day after his quarterfinal win over Nadal, becoming the first player ever to beat Nadal and Djokovic in the same claycourt tournament.
Meanwhile, Djokovic starts his singles campaign at the Tel Aviv Open on Thursday. He is also set to play doubles alongside Jonathan Erlich.