Novak Djokovic eager to see ‘LEGEND’ Rafael Nadal back in business for a fitting farewell season in 2024

Novak Djokovic looked a little concerned about Rafael Nadal‘s health in his 4th round press conference at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic knows the rehabilitation process could be very challenging after a surgery for an athlete and he felt strong empathy toward Rafael Nadal. Nadal had a hip muscle surgery on the day of his 37th birthday on 3rd June.

“I got one surgery in my career on the elbow, and I know how hard it is to get back,” said Djokovic at the press conference. Novak Djokovic had an elbow injury worked upon 5 years back. A somber-looking Djokovic talked about how an athlete thinks of surgery as a last resort as it is tough to bounce back from it.

For any player of any sport that could be challenging and with Nadal, it might be more challenging as he has had several injuries. “It’s just one of those things that you don’t want any athlete to go through. Sometimes I guess it’s necessary. For him, it’s been several times now throughout his career,” added Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic wished a speedy recovery for Rafael Nadal. He mentioned that he was not sure about the seriousness of the surgery the Spaniard underwent, but he assumed it must be serious, as Nadal had no other solution than to get under the knife. Djokovic said, “So, you know, I really hope that, yeah, his rehabilitation process can go well and that we can see him next season.”

In conclusion, Djokovic added, “We want to see healthy Rafa, no question about it, playing for what he has announced his last season. You know, hopefully he’s gonna be able to do that.” Rafael Nadal will be in complete rehabilitation for 5 months post surgery and his fitness level will be cleared after that period.

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Novak Djokovic eager to see rival Rafael Nadal back in business

Djokovic has always maintained that he considers Nadal as his biggest rival. Though the Serb had a lot of great career-defining matches with Roger Federer too, the Serb always considers Rafa as his main competitor who defined his career trajectory. He looked at the Spaniard for inspiration and motivation. A few days back, Djokovic confessed that he felt a void without Nadal in tournaments.

In the post-match conference of the 4th round of Roland Garros, he reiterated how he felt Rafael Nadal was the greatest of tennis players. He also felt that having Rafael Nadal play was important for tennis overall. “I think that he’s so important for our game on and off the court, one of the greatest legends of tennis in the history of the game,” said Djokovic. Djokovic wants to have one final show-off with Rafael Nadal, as that is something he looks forward to in his career.

Novak Djokovic will take on Karen Khachanov in the quarter-final of the French Open on 6th June. Djokovic is on a hunt to win his 3rd French Open and 23rd Grand Slam title in Paris.

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