{"id":18501,"date":"2025-01-12T02:36:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-12T02:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18501"},"modified":"2025-01-12T02:36:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T02:36:16","slug":"novak-djokovic-considers-rafael-nadal-the-most-intimidating-he-has-ever-faced-in-his-tennis-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18501","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic considers Rafael Nadal \u2018the most intimidating\u2019 he has ever faced in his tennis career"},"content":{"rendered":"
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World No. 7 Novak Djokovic has faced Rafael Nadal 60 times and edges him 31-29 in their head-to-head meetings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Novak<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Image via X)<\/p>\n

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Novak Djokovic<\/strong>\u00a0recalled getting intimidated by\u00a0Rafael Nadal<\/strong>\u00a0and described how he felt when he was in the locker room with the Spaniard. There won\u2019t be another Djokovic versus Nadal match as the 38-year-old bade his farewell last year in November after losing the first match of the quarterfinal tie in the Davis Cup.<\/p>\n

Djokovic, during an interview with\u00a0GQ magazine, said how, during warm-ups, the 14-time French Open champion used to make his \u2018presence felt\u2019 by jumping and sprinting in the corridor and listening to music at a high volume.<\/p>\n

He was not at his best last year after making his comeback following a long injury layoff. The King of Clay even succumbed to a straight-set defeat in the first round of the French Open, the tournament where he ruled for almost two decades. But Djokovic knows how Nadal in his prime was a nightmare for many players.<\/p>\n

Djokovic has dominated almost every player but against Nadal, he only has a slight edge in their head-to-head record (31-29). They last met in the second round of the 2024 Paris Olympics which Djokovic won before going on to clinch the gold medal.<\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic\u00a0is preparing for the Australian Open which begins on Sunday (January 12). He will be chasing his record 11th title in Melbourne, last winning the trophy in 2023 with a straight-set win over\u00a0Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/strong>\u00a0in the final.<\/p>\n

\"Novak
Novak Djokovic (Via Sportico)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last year, he had a forgetful time on the ATP Tour as he failed to win a title, reaching just two finals, at the Wimbledon and Shanghai Masters. At the 2024 Australian Open, he was defeated in the semifinals in four sets by eventual winner\u00a0Jannik Sinner<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To work his game and to challenge the youngsters at the Australian Open,\u00a0Djokovic hired longtime rival\u00a0Andy Murray<\/strong>. He wanted to win his first Brisbane International, an ATP 250 event, but failed to reach the semifinals after a straight-set defeat to\u00a0Reilly Opelka<\/strong>\u00a0in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

This year, his opponent for the first round is 19-year-old\u00a0Nishesh Basavareddy<\/strong>, who was given a wild card and will be making his debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

World No. 7 Novak Djokovic has faced Rafael Nadal 60 times and edges him 31-29 in their head-to-head meetings. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Image via X) Novak… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nNovak Djokovic considers Rafael Nadal \u2018the most intimidating\u2019 he has ever faced in his tennis career - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=18501\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Novak Djokovic considers Rafael Nadal \u2018the most intimidating\u2019 he has ever faced in his tennis career - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"World No. 7 Novak Djokovic has faced Rafael Nadal 60 times and edges him 31-29 in their head-to-head meetings. 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