Novak Djokovic considers Rafael Nadal ‘the most intimidating’ he has ever faced in his tennis career

World No. 7 Novak Djokovic has faced Rafael Nadal 60 times and edges him 31-29 in their head-to-head meetings.

Novak Djokovic considers Rafael Nadal ‘the most intimidating’ he has ever faced in his tennis career

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Image via X)

Novak Djokovic recalled getting intimidated by Rafael Nadal and described how he felt when he was in the locker room with the Spaniard. There won’t be another Djokovic versus Nadal match as the 38-year-old bade his farewell last year in November after losing the first match of the quarterfinal tie in the Davis Cup.

Djokovic, during an interview with GQ magazine, said how, during warm-ups, the 14-time French Open champion used to make his ‘presence felt’ by jumping and sprinting in the corridor and listening to music at a high volume.

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The most intimidating? That’s him. It was him, for sure. Roger [Federer] also had this huge aura, of course. And before you were playing him, you felt it. But he did it more gracefully, I guess, you know? But, I mean Nadal, because we all share locker rooms, so you see the players warming up and so forth.

Novak Djokovic said

He was not at his best last year after making his comeback following a long injury layoff. The King of Clay even succumbed to a straight-set defeat in the first round of the French Open, the tournament where he ruled for almost two decades. But Djokovic knows how Nadal in his prime was a nightmare for many players.

So that’s very intimidating for a lot of players. And if you are not confident in yourself, you don’t have the self-belief, if you don’t have a clear game plan on what you want to do from the beginning, he’s going to eat you alive.

Novak Djokovic added

Djokovic has dominated almost every player but against Nadal, he only has a slight edge in their head-to-head record (31-29). They last met in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics which Djokovic won before going on to clinch the gold medal.

Novak Djokovic will be chasing his 11th Australian Open

Novak Djokovic is preparing for the Australian Open which begins on Sunday (January 12). He will be chasing his record 11th title in Melbourne, last winning the trophy in 2023 with a straight-set win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Via Sportico)

Last year, he had a forgetful time on the ATP Tour as he failed to win a title, reaching just two finals, at the Wimbledon and Shanghai Masters. At the 2024 Australian Open, he was defeated in the semifinals in four sets by eventual winner Jannik Sinner.

To work his game and to challenge the youngsters at the Australian Open, Djokovic hired longtime rival Andy Murray. He wanted to win his first Brisbane International, an ATP 250 event, but failed to reach the semifinals after a straight-set defeat to Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals.

This year, his opponent for the first round is 19-year-old Nishesh Basavareddy, who was given a wild card and will be making his debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.