{"id":3207,"date":"2024-11-22T02:09:25","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T02:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=3207"},"modified":"2024-11-22T02:09:25","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T02:09:25","slug":"novak-djokovic-sends-emotional-message-to-rafael-nadal-on-spaniards-retirement-from-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=3207","title":{"rendered":"Novak Djokovic sends emotional message to Rafael Nadal on Spaniard’s retirement from tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Novak Djokovic sends emotional message to Rafael Nadal on Spaniard’s retirement from tennis: “Thank you for making me the player that I am”<\/h1>\n
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Novak Djokovic paid an emotional tribute to Rafael Nadal (Image Source: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Novak Djokovic sent an emotional message for his rival Rafael Nadal on the latter’s retirement. The Spaniard bid farewell to tennis, with his last match coming in Spain’s Davis Cup quarterfinal against Netherlands.<\/p>\n

The last couple of years were difficult for the 22-time Grand Slam champion with injuries affecting his form and participation in tournaments. This season, he played 20 singles matches, winning 12 of them, with his best performance being a run to the final at the Nordea Open in Sweden.<\/p>\n

At the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, the Spaniard faced Botic van de Zandschulp and lost 4-6, 4-6. Spain eventually lost the tie 1-2 to the Dutch after Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost the decisive doubles fixture to Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof.<\/p>\n

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“Why not trust them?” – Tommy Paul and Ben Shelton replacing ‘doubles specialists’ in USA’s Davis Cup loss upsets former Wimbledon champion<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Davis Cup recently shared a video where Novak Djokovic sent an emotional message to\u00a0Rafael Nadal\u00a0on his farewell from tennis. The Serb congratulated his rival on his illustrious career and said that he would miss the things he did in the locker room, including his warmups, jumps and sprints.<\/p>\n

Djokovic stated that while the Spaniard’s retirement was a sad day for tennis and sport, he hoped that people would celebrate his career.<\/p>\n

“Rafa. First of all, congratulations on your amazing career. Your family, your team, yourself should be extremely proud of everything that you have achieved throughout your career that lasted for more than 20 years. In the tennis locker room, we will miss your warmups, your sprints, your jumps, your incredibly competitive parchis, the games that you had with your team before your matches,” Djokovic said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“We had a lot of fun times, sharing the locker room and, you know, I just hope that today, even though it is a sad day for tennis, even though it is a sad day for Spain and sport in general, that you are retiring, at the same time I hope that everyone will celebrate your career because there is so much to embrace, so much to celebrate,” he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Djokovic\u00a0also spoke in detail of the mark Nadal will leave on tennis pointing out the Spaniard being an inspiration to millions, his on-court behavior and the respect he had for the sport and his opponents.<\/p>\n

“I think, more importantly, and you would agree with this, is the mark that you left behind in terms of the connection with the people, in terms of how you inspired millions of children around the world to grab a tennis racket. How you conveyed your passion and love for the game, how you carried yourself on the court. How you showed respect to your opponents, to the entire tennis ecosystem throughout the course of your entire career,” the Serb said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Your tenacity, your fighting spirit, the energy that you brought every single time, the strength, the power, is something that will be studied and is something that will be transferred to many, many generations that are coming up and aspiring to be like you as a person and as a great tennis champion,” he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Djokovic also said that he was honored to be called Nadal’s rival and thanked him for making him the player he is.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been very honored and thrilled to be called your rival over the last, almost 20 years, we’ve played more than 60 matches. I have learned so much in our encounters and thank you very much for also making me the player that I am and that I was over the last 20 years,” the Serb said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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