‘Temperamental but Hugely Talented’- Rafael Nadal Details Novak Djokovic Scare Right at the Beginning of Their Historic Rivalry

When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dominated the sport, there rose yet another player who changed the course of tennis. Novak Djokovic had started to challenge the top players at that point. In his book, Nadal talked about the time when he had to face Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the French Open in 2006.

Since then, we saw the dominance of the ‘Big 3’ in tennis which recently ended with Roger Federer, the oldest of them, retiring at the 2022 Laver Cup.

Rafael Nadal on witnessing the rise of Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic reached the quarter-finals of the Roland Garros in 2006 and was put up against Rafael Nadal, the defending champion. Nadal narrated his journey to the finals in his book, ‘Rafa: My Story’. He stated, “I made it to the final by a tough route, beating some of the top players of the moment.” He faced Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Nadal talked about the rising player and his talent. He stated, “A year younger than me, Djokovic was a hell of a player, temperamental but hugely talented. Toni and I had been talking about him and I’d been watching him in my rearview mirror, looming closer, for a while now.” Djokovic was not a temporary force and was resilient, and Rafa recognized that. He stated, “It would not just be me, but me and him, against Federer.” He added that Djokovic’s amazing skills, his serve, backhand, and forehand were praiseworthy.

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Nadal stated, “Above all, I could see he had big ambitions and a winner’s temperament.” The Serbian player retired at the beginning of the third set in the quarter-finals of the 2006 Roland Garros. But Rafa had noticed the rise of the upcoming player and knew he would be a tough match in the future.

The rise of Djokovic

And that is exactly what happened. The Serbian player won his first grand slam in the 2008 Australian Open. Moreover, he has won nine Australian Open titles now. After that, his victories came naturally. Now, with 21 grand slam titles under his name, he is one of the greatest tennis players.

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The ban and drop in his ranking due to recent conditions have created a challenge for him. However, the player has not backed down and is back in the game, winning his 90th ATP title in Astana.