The Serbian regretted not being there to say goodbye to his great rival on the tennis courts. It's been almost two months, but the farewell ceremony for Rafael Nadal that took place on November 19 at the Martin Carpena pavilion in Malaga at the end of the Davis Cup quarter-final between Spain and the Netherlands is still going strong.

The last time they met, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the 2024 Paris Olympics on the clay courts of Roland Garros (not counting the exhibition at the Six Kings Slam). Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

Novak Djokovic has become the latest prominent figure in tennis to criticize the handling of Rafael Nadal's retirement ceremony. Nadal, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, officially ended his career late last year,

Novak Djokovic has revealed he ‘feels bad’ for missing Rafael Nadal’s tennis retirement ceremony at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Djokovic issued a statement on social media ahead of the special event that he would ‘be there in person to pay respect to Nadal’s stellar career’.

Grand Slam winner, Novak Djokovic has expressed his thoughts on why he received resistance from greatest on-court rivals initially.