Andrey Rublev has declared that tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are both pushing each other to “keep playing until the end.”

The ATP star feels both Nadal and Djokovic are “playing to leave a mark in the history of tennis” and suggested the duo motivate each other to keep fighting for Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has not competed since sustaining a hip injury in his second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the 2023 Australian Open in January. The Mallorcan No 1 underwent surgery to address the issue in June, having initially expected to be out for around six to eight weeks.

The former world No 1 was forced to postpone his intended comeback during this year’s clay-court season and missed Roland Garros for the first time since 2004.

The 37-year-old secured his most recent title at the 2022 French Open, where he crushed Casper Ruud in a straight-set final to claim a record-extending 14th crown.

The Spaniard will make his return to the tour at the Brisbane International ATP 250 tournament in January in preparation for the 2024 Australian Open.

Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year, claiming the Australian Open, French Open and US Open crowns. The 36-year-old triumphed at seven of the 12 ATP tournaments he entered in a stunning 2023 season.

The Serbian has won a men’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles, while Nadal sits second on the all-time list with 22 ahead of Roger Federer in third on 20.

Rublev explained he is not surprised Nadal has put in the hard yards to make a comeback because of the continued presence and success of his great rival Djokovic.

“I’m not surprised [Nadal is coming back] because I think he and Novak, those kind of players who are playing to leave a mark in the history of tennis – while Novak is still playing, I think Rafa will try until the end to play and try to win Slams,” Rublev told The National.

“And the same goes for Novak. If Rafa keeps playing and winning when he comes back, for sure Novak will keep playing until the end. They are playing for different things.”

The Russian also discussed his record of having lost all nine of the Grand Slam quarter-finals he has contested and expressed hope he would get over the hurdle at the next opportunity.

“I didn’t even know that I had 0-9 in quarter-finals and that I’m the only player who had this stat, I didn’t know, but it made me smile. That at least somewhere I’m the first one,”

“It’s tough to do if you have nine chances, not to make not and it made me feel a bit more loose or better inside, that at least one out of 10 I should make it. So probably the next quarter-final should be the good one. I’m not relaxed about it but in this case I see it in a positive way.”