What will Rafael Nadal's retirement mean for Novak Djokovic?

Rafael Nadal's impending retirement means that Novak Djokovic is the last man standing among the "Big Four" of tennis. Nadal announced that the Davis Cup finals in Malaga will be his last appearance on the professional tour as he announced his retirement in an emotional video this past week.

In Djokovic's own words, Nadal was his biggest rival and the Spaniard's retirement has left a big hole in the Serbian's career. With Roger Federer retiring in 2022 and Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal ending their careers in 2024, Djokovic will soon be the lone member among the "Big Four" to still be playing professional tennis.

Nadal's retirement with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name has officially cemented Djokovic's legacy as the most successful men's player in tennis history with 24 Majors. Fuelled by competition and hunger to be the best, the Spaniard's retirement might push Novak Djokovic to retire sooner rather than later.

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Novak Djokovic has achieved everything in his illustrious tennis career

Despite not winning a single ATP title in 2024, Djokovic will still look back at the year with fondness. This year the Serbian won the only title that eluded him hitherto in his career, the Olympic gold, to "complete" tennis. The 37-year-old joined Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal as the only men's players to complete a Career Golden Slam with his victory in Paris.

Over the course of his illustrious career, Djokovic has won every possible title in tennis, creating and breaking various records. The Serbian superstar has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles, more than any other male player in the history of the game. Apart from his Grand Slam excellence, Djokovic has also won ATP Masters titles across the globe on hardcourt, grass, and clay.

Novak Djokovic with the Paris Olympics gold medal - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic has nothing left to prove in his career and would leave the game as the undisputed GOAT whenever he decides to hang up his boots. However, the Serbian recently said that he is still hungry for more success and wants to keep on playing next season.

"I don't know what the future brings, I'll just try to kind of go with the flow to see how I feel in a given moment but I still plan to compete and play next season."

Novak Djokovic is just one tournament win away from a record 100th title win in his career. However, the Serbian will be aiming for a bigger record, a 25th Grand Slam title win that would move him past Margaret Court as the most successful Grand Slam champion of all time. Currently, Djokovic is tied with Court with 24 Majors to their name.

With Djokovic only concentrating on Grand Slam tournaments, the Serbian could well win the record-breaking 25th title in the next year. A 25th Grand Slam title for Djokovic would see him stand alone on the top of the tennis mountain with nothing more left to achieve in his career. However, winning a 25th Major is easier said than done given the emergence of young stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

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Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have got the better of Novak Djokovic in 2024

Despite his Olympic final win against Carlos Alcaraz, Djokovic has struggled against both the Spaniard and Jannik Sinner in 2024. The Serbian star was defeated in the semi-final of the Australian Open by Sinner and later lost the Wimbledon final to Alcaraz.

The young duo of Alcaraz and Sinner shared all four Grand Slam titles amongst them, cementing their status as the "future of tennis." Sinner and Alcaraz's success has resumed talk of a changing of guard in men's tennis and even the great Roger Federer weighed in with his opinion on the same.

Federer believes that men's tennis is seeing a "change in guard," given the trajectory of the 2024 season. Alcaraz and Sinner's success along with Murray and Nadal's retirement has left the space for young stars to take the men's tennis forward. Sinner and Alcaraz have stepped up to be that duo so far and would hope to continue their dominance in the future.

Speaking at the recently concluded Shanghai Masters, Federer said,

"You can feel the changing of the guard: Serena Williams retired, Murray retired and Rafa is getting closer and closer. Novak had a tough year overall, but then he won the gold medal at the Olympics and achieved what he wanted. It was incredible for him to achieve that. You feel everything changing. Sinner and Alcaraz have won two Slams each, which shows that changes are happening."

While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated in Grand Slam tournaments, Djokovic showed that he can still go toe-to-toe with them in major tournaments. However, with his great rivals retired and with nothing more left to prove, a 25th Grand Slam title win could well push Djokovic into retiring as the "Greatest Player of All Time."