Novak Djokovic has hailed his “greatest rival” Rafael Nadal after what could potentially be his final French Open appearance. The Spaniard - a 14-time winner at Roland Garros - fell at the first hurdle in his latest appearance . He fell to a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 defeat against Alexander Zverev on Monday.
It means that Nadal won’t be adding to his record-breaking haul of wins in France. He hinted in an emotional speech that he would not be returning to the competition in the future after recent injury issues. Serbian star Djokovic is now firmly in the running to claim his fourth success.
He reached the third round of the French Open on Thursday after beating Roberto Carballes Baena. French Open: Alcohol BANNED in the stands after David Goffin incident Novak Djokovic feelings on French Open made clear by star's tennis coach friend Speaking after his latest success, three-time winner Djokovic made sure to pay tribute to Nadal. Speaking in a press conference, he said: "He has been the greatest rival that I ever had.
"Matches against him on clay have frustrated me so much in my career, but they also made me a better player, made me understand what it takes to try to surpass him; try to win at least once or twice at Roland-Garros. "It's the highest mountain to climb for me to win Roland-Garros, particularly because of Nadal, because I always have to win against him in order to get to the title. We had some really fantastic matches here.
" Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the f.