Novak Djokovic showed his respect for Rafael Nadal as he claimed that some victories over his rival meant “twice as much”.
The Serb holds the record for most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era, winning 24.
But he admitted Nadal stopped him from lifting more trophies at the French Open.
The Spaniard is a 14-time champion at Roland Garros. Nadal has only lost four matches there in his career and is undefeated in finals. His dominance has left Djokovic and Roger Federer’s records skewed.
The world No. 4 has three French Open crowns – a huge achievement but nothing compared to his 10 Australian Opens and seven Wimbledons. And Federer has only won Roland Garros once.
Asked whether there was anything else that could have prevented him from lifting more trophies on the Parisian clay, Djokovic told RTS: “Probably not, to be completely honest. For me, but for Federer as well.
“Nadal was unbeatable there for a long time, he lost only a few times at the Phillipe Chatrier. Every time you step on that court with him, he is the favourite.”
But times have changed – the 22-time Grand Slam champion has barely played over the last two years as injuries continue to derail his career. At this year’s French Open, he drew fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round and lost.
The Olympics tennis event was staged at Stade Roland-Garros and Nadal came up against Djokovic in the second round. Despite his physical issues, the Serb was worried about facing his old rival.