Novak Djokovic revealed that Rafael Nadal used to “p*** him off” before big matches. Before he was able to surpass his rival to cement his status as the greatest, Djokovic was left intimidated by the Spaniard’s locker room preparations at the French Open. But the world No 1 now knows that the mind games start before stepping on the court.
Djokovic and Nadal have one of the most iconic rivalries in tennis, facing off 59 times in their careers. It’s the Serb who narrowly leads their head-to-head by 30 wins to 29 losses and this year he was able to surpass Nadal in the Grand Slam race, reaching a total of 24 Major titles.
But he wasn’t always the man on top, as Djokovic has now admitted that Nadal’s old locker room antics annoyed him while they were waiting to take to the court. “I’m playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close,” the world No 1 recalled, speaking to CBS 60 Minutes.
“And we’re tryin’ to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big.” With both men forced into close proximity before their showdown, Djokovic became “p****d off” when the 37-year-old started running around and listening to music.
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He added: “And, the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court. In the locker room, he’s doing sprints next to you. I can even hear the music he’s listening to, you know, in his headphones. So, you know, it’s p***ing me off.”
However, the 98-time title winner has since learned that it is all part of the battle, with the competition beginning before the match itself. Djokovic explained: “Early in my career, I didn’t realize how all that’s part of the scenario, right?
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“So, I was getting intimidated by that. But it’s also motivating me to do stuff myself and to show that I’m ready, you know? I’m ready for a battle, for a war.” And the 36-year-old is now used to intimidating his younger opponents, previously admitting that it was a trait he picked up from Nadal.
“He shows incredible tenacity and combativeness on the field and in the locker room. This level of tenacity intimidates you,” Djokovic told ESPN in September. “That’s what you feel when you play against him. It’s like you’re entering a bullfight.”
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