Novak Djokovic admits that the rivalry with Rafael Nadal is one of the things that motivate him to keep going at the age of 35. Nadal, 36, owns a record 22 Grand Slams, while Djokovic follows with 21 Majors. Since Nadal is out of the Australian Open and Djokovic has been through to the semifinal, there is a good chance the Serb ties the Spaniard for the most Grand Slams this fortnight.
“It does keep me going, of course. I’m trying to balance things out between the professional goals that I have and it’s always highest goal for me, you know, trying to reach another title. I have plenty of success in Australia, so that obviously feeds on my motivation and inspiration always to perform at my best, knowing if I’ve done so well in the past and also, kind of a private mission of why I keep on playing tennis, which is personal, which is joy and love for the sport and passion really with my family, my closest people in my life, and hopefully sharing [those] good vibes with people watching me play,” Djokovic told the Australian Open website.
Djokovic on the rivalry with Nadal: We are privileged to be in this position
Nadal won the opening two Grand Slams of the 2022 season to improve to a record number of 22 Grand Slams. Then, Djokovic responded by winning Wimbledon to improve to 21 Grand Slams.
“It’s amazing. I mean, it feels like that every match is a historic match at this moment, particularly for Rafa and myself. I think we are very privileged to be in this position, both him and I, pushing each other to the limit to see how far one or the other can go,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic has been bothered by a hamstring injury throughout the Australian Open but it is not considered something very serious. On the other side, Nadal has been having major difficulties with injuries in the last few years. It remains to be seen for how long will the Djokovic and Nadal be active.
