Novak Djokovic comments on his 'big rivalry' with Rafael Nadal

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• Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic has acknowledged that Rafael Nadal is his biggest rival and expressed hope to play the Spaniard many more times on the biggest stage. Djokovic, 35, and 36-year-old Nadal have clashed 59 times over the course of their careers.

Their head-to-head couldn't be any tighter as Djokovic owns a narrow 30-29 lead in their head-to-head records. So far this season, Djokovic and Nadal have clashed only once as the Spaniard beat the Serb en route to winning a record 14th French Open title.

“Everyone is my rival, whoever I step out on court against. But when it comes to who is my biggest rival, then it’s Nadal without a doubt. He is still there. We played more matches against each other than any other rivalry in the history of tennis.

And I hope that we will play many more times, it’s exciting for us and for tennis," Djokovic said, per Tennis365.

Djokovic on how he creates an image of success

Djokovic, a 21-time Grand Slam champion, is the second on the all-time Grand Slam record list.

Also, he holds the record for the most weeks spent at the top position. Overall, Djokovic is widely considered as one of the greatest players in tennis history. But to Djokovic, being a great champion takes far more than just having a talent for the game.

"There isn’t one secret or one key that solves all the problems. It’s a combination of things that are part of your character: who you are, how you train, what’s your lifestyle,” Djokovic said. "It all creates the image of success.

That formula has worked for me”. Meanwhile, Djokovic is playing at the inaugural Tel Aviv Open. In the Tel Aviv first round, Djokovic plays Pablo Andujar. It remains to be seen if Djokovic can win his third title of the season this week in the Israeli capital.