"Rafael Nadal is one of my biggest rivals, but I only have nice things to say" - When Novak Djokovic praised 'champion' Spaniard despite final loss
Novak Djokovic once candidly discussed his profound admiration for arch-rival Rafael Nadal after losing to the Spaniard in the 2012 Monte-Carlo Masters final.
Top seed Djokovic reached the final of the Masters 1000 event that year with wins over the likes of Andreas Seppi, Robin Haase, and Thomas Berdych. Meanwhile, second seed and seven-time defending champion Nadal triumphed over Stan Wawrinka and Gilles Simon to book his place against the Serb.
The Spaniard claimed a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Djokovic in the final to clinch his eighth consecutive title at the Monte-Carlo Masters. In doing so, he became the first man in the Open Era to win eight straight titles at a tournament.
Following his loss, the Serb graciously commended Nadal for his performance in the final. However, he also acknowledged his own lackluster display, admitting that he hadn't posed a challenge to the Spaniard.
"He always plays well on clay. He rarely, rarely plays worse than he usually does. It's been like that throughout the years. Actually, he has been improving. I think today he played just enough to win. I made a lot of unforced errors. I just wasn't there. You know, I didn't play well," he said in his post-match press conference.
"He took his opportunities first set and made a break, and that's it. I didn't make him play at all, you know. I just was out there trying to put the ball in the court," he added.
Djokovic did not shy away from sharing his admiration for Nadal's record-breaking achievement of winning his eighth consecutive Monte-Carlo Masters title. He lauded the Spaniard as a "real champion" and emphasized that, despite their fierce on-court rivalry, he had nothing negative to say about his rival.
"My head's down. There's not many words you can normally say. Fantastic, impressive. The way he's been treating this sport is a real example of a champion, you know," Djokovic said.
"He's one of my biggest rivals, but I only have nice things to say about him. He's been achieving so much. Every year he comes back and he looks like he's the first time in this place. I have to give him credit," he added.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faced each other four times in 2012
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal faced each other four times in 2012, with the Spaniard emerging victorious in three of those encounters. The Serb triumphed in their first meeting of the season, defeating Nadal 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 in the Australian Open final.
The Spaniard then dominated their rivalry during the clay season, beginning with his straight-sets win over Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo Masters final. Subsequently, he beat the Serb 7-5, 6-3 in the Italian Open final.
Their final matchup of the season took place in the French Open final, where Nadal secured a 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 victory to clinch his seventh Roland Garros title, surpassing Bjorn Borg's Open Era record of six titles at the clay court Major.