Novak Djokovic was ‘sad’ to see Rafael Nadal withdraw from Indian Wells due to injury and has made a new admission over his own retirement.
Djokovic and Nadal have both previously acknowledged that they are coming to the end of their careers as the ‘Big Three’ era in tennis finally reaches a conclusion.
The two tennis legends have won a combined total of 46 Grand Slam singles titles but look set to soon join Roger Federer in hanging up their respective rackets.
Djokovic admitted this summer that he ‘doesn’t know how long’ he’ll be around on the ATP Tour while Nadal revealed that 2024 is set to be his last year in tennis.
Nadal had wanted to use this year as a farewell tour to his adoring fans but persisting injury problems forced him to pull out of the Australian Open and despite trying to make returns in Qatar and California, he just cannot stay fit.
‘It’s sad for the tournament that Rafa had to withdraw and also for him,’ Djokovic said about Nadal’s Indian Wells omission.
‘I actually travelled with him to America, that was not planned. It was nice to see him and his family.
‘I know he came in early because he really wanted to adjust to the time zone, get as much practice as possible, get himself ready to play, that’s why he came in early. He gave his best but it wasn’t to be.
‘Those moments will come for all of us. You know, when they actually come and you actually understand that that’s it, Roger finished his career, Rafa and I are probably not going to play much more.
‘It’s a kind of one era to an end and it’s sad but at the same time, I think there’s so many wonderful moments, matches, and milestones that we can celebrate when it comes to each one of us and us as a group.’
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