Rafael Nadal sends social media message to Novak Djokovic ahead of the Madrid Open

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic enjoyed one of the greatest rivalries tennis has ever seen, which came to an end when the former retired last year.

Nadal says he doesn’t miss tennis, having called time on his glittering career at the Davis Cup in November.

Djokovic meanwhile is still going strong and still chasing his 100th ATP Tour title, with the Madrid Open up next in his schedule.

The Serbian leads the way for men’s Grand Slam titles with 24, closely followed by the 22 achieved by Nadal.

But it is the Spaniard who has enjoyed more success at the Madrid Open, with five titles compared to the three of Djokovic.

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Rafael Nadal wishes Novak Djokovic luck for the Madrid Open

Nadal has, however, been wishing his former rival well for the ATP Masters 1000 event, which is now underway in the Spanish capital.

Djokovic shared his words of praise for the Spaniard on his Instagram story, with Nadal having received the Laureus Sporting Icon Award in Madrid earlier this week.

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Accompanied with “Felicidades,” the Spanish for “congratulations”, Djokovic said: “Everyone knows of his greatness on a tennis court and what he has achieved with his great fighting spirit, tenacity.

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“But I think as the time went on, and the injuries that he was fighting with, the never-dying spirit that he showed and the good respecting values.

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“So I think he is definitely the right person to receive this award no doubt because of his success but also his influence extends and expands on so many areas in life, not just tennis and not just sports in general.”

Sharing the kind words on his Instagram story, Nadal replied: “Thanks Novak Djokovic for your words! It was great to see you yesterday in Madrid, good luck in the tournament and in the season!”

Novak Djokovic’s first Madrid Open opponent as he chases elusive ATP milestone

Nadal was, of course, the leading man on clay, with Madrid Open wins in 2005, 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2017 among his honours list on the surface.

But Djokovic has also proven his worth on clay, having won titles in Spain in 2011, 2016 and 2019, the first of which came against Nadal.

READ MORE: The potential routes to the Madrid Open final for Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic as draw confirmed

He has, however, failed in his recent efforts to finally reach 100 ATP titles, most recently losing his opener at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Djokovic now has a chance to recover at the Madrid Open, where he starts against either Matteo Arnaldi or Borna Coric in round two.

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