Nole shared interesting stories about his past confrontations with great rival Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have met more times than any other duo on the ATP Tour. In particular, the Serbian star has a better confrontation record with 30 victories after 59 encounters.
However, in the early stages of his career, Djokovic appeared inferior to Nadal. The “King of Clay” won 14/18 of his first matches, mainly on the Spaniard’s favorite clay court.
On CBS’s 60 Minutes program, Djokovic told American journalist Jon Wertheim that the locker room at Roland Garros has a relatively small space. The Serbian tennis player shared that his blood boiled when he witnessed Nadal’s unpleasant actions before the match.
Djokovic was once upset with Nadal’s strange actions at Roland Garros“I played against Nadal at Roland Garros that year and his locker was next to mine. So we were very close to each other. And I was trying to enjoy my own space. But the locker room wasn’t that big.” position.
In the locker room, he sprinted next to me. I could even hear the music he was listening to. That really upset me.”
At that time, Djokovic did not know that it was just part of being a professional tennis player. He was completely overwhelmed by his opponent’s habits. But the experience has become a tool for Djokovic the next time he plays against his biggest rival.
“Definitely. When I first started, I didn’t realize all those things were part of the game. So I felt intimidated by that. But it also motivated me to do things on my own.” and prove that I’m ready. I’m ready for any fight.”
