Novak Djokovic: "I can't take anybody but Rafael Nadal as my biggest rival"

Novak Djokovic recently reiterated that Rafael Nadal will always be his biggest rival. While the Serb greatly respects players like Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, he believes that as long as he and Nadal are both playing, the two will remain each other's fiercest rivals.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are tied at a record 22 Grand Slam singles titles. Djokovic tied Nadal's record by lifting a record 10th Australian Open title in January. The two legends have faced each other a record 59 times on the ATP Tour, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head 30-29.

Coming up in an era where Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were dominating tennis, Novak Djokovic quickly caught up with the two to make it the 'Big-3.' But while Federer retired from tennis last year, Djokovic and Nadal are still fighting in the race to win the most Grand Slam titles.

In a recent interview with Tennis TV, Djokovic was asked who he considered to be his greatest rival. The Serb quickly responded that he could not name anybody except Rafael Nadal given the storied history of their rivalry.

“I can’t take anybody else but Nadal as my biggest rival. As long as Nadal is playing, as long as I am playing, Nadal is always my biggest rival. Regardless of the rankings or what’s going on, on the tour,” he said. “Just because of the history of our rivalry.”

The 35-year-old also declared that he has tons of respect for the young Carlos Alcaraz and has had some great matchups with Daniil Medvedev in recent years. However, Nadal still topped his list as the two go back a long time.

“I have tons of respect for Carlos Alcaraz and some great matchups with Daniil Medvedev, but Nadal and myself, we go back a long time. So definitely, he comes in the front,” he said.

“It takes a little bit more time I guess to recover” - Novak Djokovic on his elbow injury

Djokovic bids to win his 7th Italian Open title

Speaking at a press conference ahead of his 2023 Italian Open campaign, Novak Djokovic revealed that his elbow injury was all good now. The Serb jokingly admitted that it takes longer for him to recover now as he isn’t 25 anymore.

“No, no, it's all good. It's all good. I mean, there's always some things here and there that bother you on this level. It's normal. Also when you're not 25 any more, I guess you experience that a bit more than what used to be the case (smiling). It takes a little bit more time I guess to recover,” Djokovic said.

The World No. 1, who is bidding for a seventh title in Rome, will face World No. 61 Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round on Friday, May 12. Djokovic stated that he loves playing in Rome and expressed hope that it would act as a good “springboard” for his bid to win a third Roland Garros title.