“Matches against him have frustrated me so much,” Novak Djokovic speaks about facing his ‘greatest rival’ Rafael Nadal on clay

Djokovic has suffered just like everybody playing Rafael Nadal on clay.

“Matches against him have frustrated me so much,” Novak Djokovic speaks about facing his ‘greatest rival’ Rafael Nadal on clay

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

World No.1 Novak Djokovic reiterated recently that Rafael Nadal is the greatest rival he has ever had in his career. The Spaniard, alongside Roger Federer, has always had a significant impact on the Serbian’s career.

Speaking in the post-match press conference after his second-round win over Roberto Carballes Baena, Djokovic was full of praise for Nadal. He believes that one of the biggest reasons why Roland Garros was so difficult to win was because he had to go through the ‘King of Clay’ to claim the title.

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Winning Roland Garros is the highest mountain to climb for me because I always had to win against him to get the title. l've said it many times. He has been the greatest rival that I ever had. Matches against him on clay have frustrated me so much in my career (smiling), but they also made me a better player, made me understand what it takes, you know, really, to try to surpass him, try to win at least once or twice on Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic said in his post-match press conference

Funnily enough, Djokovic beat Nadal in the 2015 Roland Garros, and yet it wasn’t enough for him to clinch the title that year. He lost in the final against Stan Wawrinka in four sets, showcasing the immense challenge of winning the French Open for the Serbian.

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The two tennis titans have faced each other 59 times, with Djokovic leading 30-29 in their head-to-head. Their last encounter was in the 2022 Roland Garros quarterfinal, where Nadal emerged victorious in four sets. Rafa holds a 7-2 advantage in their head-to-head matchups at Roland Garros.

I said it on the court the other day. It's the highest mountain to climb, really, always for me to win Roland Garros, particularly because of Nadal, because I always have to win against him in order to get to the title.
So, yeah, we had some really fantastic matches here.
Novak Djokovic added

Interestingly, Nole is only one of three players ever to beat Nadal at the French Open. And he happens to be the only one to defeat Nadal twice here.

The history of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on clay

World No.1 Novak Djokovic and the 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal have been extremely dominant on clay throughout their careers. Together, they have won a combined 82 career clay court titles, including 17 Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal before the 2022 Roland Garros quarter-final (via Imago)

Since 2005, they have won every Roland Garros title except in 2009 and 2015, when Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka emerged victorious, respectively.

The pair have also clinched a combined 38 Masters 1000 titles on clay. In Monte Carlo, Nadal has secured 11 titles, while Djokovic has won two. In Madrid, the Spaniard has triumphed five times, compared to the Serbian’s three victories. In Rome, Nadal has claimed 10 titles, with Djokovic close behind with six. Additionally, the King of Clay won in Hamburg in 2008 before it was converted into an ATP 500 event.

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