“He will also have a small mental down,” Rafael Nadal feels retirement is not too far away for Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal, ready to hang up his racket after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, predicts Novak Djokovic will feel the void and might retire.
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Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (Images via X)
Rafael Nadal, who recently announced that he will retire from professional tennis after he is done representing Spain in the Davis Cup Finals, feels that Novak Djokovic is also close to stepping aside from the tour. Nadal feels that with Roger Federer already retired and him also going at the end of this season, the Serbian might feel a void.
The Big Three has dominated the tour for decades. Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer also pushed each other to do better. Both Djokovic and Nadal confessed after their match at the Six Kings Slam that they would miss their rivalry.
The Spaniard also thanked the 24-time Grand Slam champion for helping him go over his limits. Now, upon being queried about Djokovic’s career trajectory, Nadal predicted that Djokovic would have a mental breakdown that might push him to retirement.
I think it is human that Novak, even if he is still healthy, as he is old and it is logical that the clock will take its toll on all of us and that, once Federer has left, once I leave, that in the end we have been his two great rivals, at some point he will also have a small mental down and will find the reason to step aside.
Rafael Nadal said about Novak Djokovic to AS
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, however, admitted that the Serb has still got what it takes to win at the highest level.
Nadal admitted that if Djokovic feels the drive, he will continue to compete. But if he gets the feeling that he is not getting the expected outcome for the efforts he is putting in, he might step aside.
And Novak is good enough to, if he is healthy, remain competitive at the highest level and aspire to win the most important tournaments. And if he continues to be happy doing what he does, he will keep it. If at some point, it no longer compensates enough for everything he has to do to have options to continue being at the highest level, then he will step aside, that’s what I think.
Rafael Nadal explained
Djokovic, however, has expressed a clear desire to compete on the tour for a few more years. Most recently, the Belgrade native said he wants to come back to China next year.
Rafael Nadal talks about future of men’s tennis- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
After sharing his views on what lies ahead of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal also looked at the two rising superstars of men’s tennis- Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The 14-time French Open champion hailed the two youngsters, claiming no one comes close to them currently.
Nadal claimed that while one day someone might challenge them continuously, no player can do this right now. The 38-year-old, who himself suffered a lot due to injuries, hopes these two rising stars don’t get bogged down.
The two of them are above everyone else. I don’t see a rival who can overshadow them continuously. One day, obviously, there are a lot of very good people. But in the medium term, there is no one who can make them a real competition as long as they do not have an injury that prevents them from being able to perform at the same level.
Rafael Nadal said about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Notably, Sinner and Alcaraz are the top two players in the world currently. They also split the four Grand Slam titles among themselves, with Alcaraz clinching back-to-back titles in Paris and London, and Sinner sweeping the two hard-court Majors.
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Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)