Djokovic: “Nadal will always be my main rival”

If Eddy Merckx was ‘The Cannibal’ of cycling, then Novak Djokovic is tennis’. Tireless at 36, today, Thursday (not before 10 a.m. ET) he will lead Serbia against Great Britain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. The current World Number one sat down with AS in Malaga, a place with which he shares a special bond, before tackling a major objective for him in a season that will shine on its own within the constellation of his legendary career: the season that saw him become, among many other records broken, the man with the most Grand Slams (24) in the history of the sport.

How is Malaga treating you? You have a significant connection to this region.

I’ve been coming to the Costa del Sol for training blocks for ten or fifteen years now. I really enjoy this beautiful part of Spain. It has one of the best climates you can find. In winter, when the rest of Europe is cold and snowy, here you can play tennis outdoors. It’s incredible to be able to play here officially for the first time. Last year I came to watch the Finals, and I’m really looking forward to playing in them. It’s going to be a great week; we have high expectations and hope to meet them.

Do you plan to settle here upon retirement?

I don’t know. Right now, I would say no, but you never know. We will see what the future holds.

You have spoken out quite a bit about the Davis Cup format. What do you think would be the ideal?

Personally, I think the best format would be something halfway between the old one and this one. I think not having played in Serbia for many years is not ideal. Playing there benefits our federation and young players. I don’t have a perfect format in mind; it would be good to discuss it. But with the players, the teams... everyone should have a say. We are an integral part of the competition and could provide valuable insights. For a country like Spain to have been playing at home for four or five years is too much, in my opinion. This is a global competition and perhaps from at least the semifinals, it should be played with home and away matches as before.

Two hot topics among players right now are the different types of balls and the congested schedule. What are your thoughts on this?

There’s been a lot of discussion about the effects of the different balls. Someone told me that, in terms of injuries, this is a very bad year compared to others. I totally agree that it should be talked about. I mentioned it in Paris to Gaudenzi [the chairman of the Association of Tennis Professionals], and they are thinking of different options to improve this aspect so that players suffer fewer injuries. As for the schedule, there has also been a lot of criticism from players. It’s something that should be addressed. There are different governing bodies, many interests. The television decides, for better or worse.

Nadal will return at some point in 2024. Is he still your main rival? Do you think he’ll be able to come back at the highest level?

Rafa will always be my main rival. No matter how long he’s off the courts. I hope, for the sake of tennis, that he can play as much as possible, the entire season. I don’t know how he is, but from what he’s been saying, he’s ready to return and will probably do so in Australia. I’m expecting the best from him. I can’t conceive of Nadal thinking anything other than winning the biggest tournaments. He’s going to come back with the desire to win more Grand Slams and being among the best in the world. Let’s see what happens.

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You have often praised Carlos Alcaraz. How would you describe your personal relationship with him?

I think we have a relationship based on mutual respect. We are as friendly as we can be considering we are rivals. It’s hard for us to be very close, but we’ve trained a lot together, we have interesting conversations, our teams get along... He has a great team, with Ferrero, whom I’ve known for many years, as coach. In fact, my former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, played a lot against him. We get along very well. Of course, on the court, we want to beat each other and be number one, but at the end of the day, when the match or tournament is over, we show each other respect and appreciation.

When Nadal and Federer were playing, from the outside sometimes you seemed like the baddie in the Big Three movie. Do you think with them away, the public’s attitude towards you has changed?

Nadal and Federer were rivals before I came along. In the beginning, I tried to become part of that rivalry. At these levels of sport, normally the ideal rivalry is between two, so I understand that maybe people didn’t want that. In the end, we shared the stage for about 15 years, we played incredible matches against each other, unforgettable ones, and we’ve been the best in the world for a long time. Look, I know I can’t please everyone, but I think a lot of people respect what I’ve achieved, my contribution to tennis, and its history. And that’s the minimum, yet most fundamental thing a person can receive from someone else.

Your career doesn’t seem to have an end in sight today, but have you thought about what you want to do when you retire?

I’m not thinking about that moment. As you say, I have some businesses, but I also have my family, children, and I’d like to spend most of my time with them. I’m already playing less, trying to be available for them as much as possible. I want to be a good father and a good husband, allow my children to do something they like, and be there to support them in it. So yes, there are many things. But right now, I have my family’s support to keep competing. I don’t know how much longer I’ll do it, but for now, I enjoy it.

How do you think the world of tennis will look in 20 years? Will Saudi Arabia play a relevant role?

I think they will be involved; in fact, they already are to some extent. They recently hosted the NextGen Finals, and last year they organized a big exhibition with top players. Look, it’s inevitable, it’s going to happen. It’s a strong and growing economy. They love sports and want to invest, so tennis will be part of it. In what way? We’ll see.