Updated: Dec 11, 2023 | 20:04
11 dic 2023 | 19:58
They are not “friends”, as Djokovic has stated in several circumstances, but Rafa Nadal and Novak embody a rivalry that, together with Roger Federer, is not the history of tennis, but of sport.
Of course, as with any other face to face, friction can arise. In an interview on ’60 minutes’, the Serbian told what has bothered him the most about the Manacorí in a relationship that has been going on for more than 15 years.
It all happened in the locker room during the preview of a Roland Garros match: “I remember playing with him at Roland Garros, our lockers were next to each other, very close. We tried to give each other space, but the locker room is not that big.”
And it was then when, as has been seen in many other situations, Rafa started his ‘psychological game’ and began to warm up to intimidate his rival.
“You know how Nadal performs those jumps before going out on the court, even in the locker room he does sprints alongside his rivals. I could even hear what music he was listening to on his headphones, all of that bothers me,” remembers ‘Nole’.
At the time, the world number 1 did not realize that it was a “script”, and managed to draw strength from that “annoyance”.
“I didn’t realize all this, which is actually a script, at the beginning of my career. There I felt intimidated, but it motivated me to show that I was ready for battle,” added Djokovic, who wants a ‘last dance’. ‘ alongside Rafa Nadal in 2024. And if it can be at Roland Garros, the better.
Novak Djokovic says he was intimidated by Rafa Nadal’s pre-match locker room ritual at Roland Garros:
“I’m playing Nadal in Roland Garros & I have his locker next to my locker. So we’re so close. We’re trying to give each other space, but that locker room is also not that big.… pic.twitter.com/9A0NpeX75e
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 11, 2023
2023-12-11 18:58:31
#Novak #Djokovic #reveals #annoys #Rafa #Nadal
