While Novak Djokovic finished ahead 31-29 of Rafael Nadal, he rued missing the Spanish legend’s last moments on court during the Davis Cup. (Reuters)
Novak Djokovic on Tuesday said that he regretted missing Rafael Nadal’s farewell match and said that the retirement ceremony “wasn’t done properly.”
The Djokovic-Nadal rivalry lasted 18 years between 2006 and 2024 with the Paris Olympics showdown between the two last year marking a record 60th meeting. While the Serbian finished ahead on 31-29, he rued missing the Spanish legend’s last moments on court during the Davis Cup.
Spain suffered a shock quarter-finals defeat against the Netherlands, leaving everyone and the organizers surprised and short on resources to facilitate a ceremony befitting of the 22-time Slam-winning Nadal’s stature in the sport.
“I don’t know the exact details as to how they envisioned the ceremony, but I know that the plan was to do it after the semis, if Spain were to go through. Murray and I planned to be there, we couldn’t fit the quarter-finals in our schedule, but we were a sure thing for the semis.
“Unfortunately, it turned out the way it did, what are you gonna do? More than that, I don’t really know,” said Djokovic, told the Serbian press in Melbourne.
“I saw the video (of the ceremony). I don’t know, I don’t know if Rafa maybe didn’t want to make too much of a fuss about it in order not to bother other teams, matches… I don’t know, to be honest, but I feel bad that I wasn’t there,” he added.
Djokovic said he cherished the memories of having faced Nadal in his final year on the tour. “We were together on the court in Riyadh, that was the moment, a nice moment. I saw him play at Roland-Garros, we played each other at the Olympics… The ceremony, if you want my opinion, wasn’t done properly. Maybe Rafa himself wasn’t sure whether he’ll play or not, if he can play some more, and then maybe it was too late to do something bigger. I don’t know, really, maybe…”
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