Rafael Nadal played Novak Djokovic for the final time before his retirement at the Six Kings Slam, and the Spaniard has insisted that having fewer Grand Slams than his old rival does not make him less happy.
After Nadal retires at the Davis Cup Finals next month, Djokovic will be the only active player remaining from the legendary trio of him, Nadal, and Roger Federer, who dominated tennis for years.
Those three men are widely considered the best players in tennis history, leading to constant discussions about who was the greatest when all three competed simultaneously.
Federer, the oldest of the three men, held the record for the most Grand Slams throughout most of the trio's rivalry, but Nadal overtook him after he won his 21st Grand Slam at the 2022 Australian Open.
Nadal then secured his 14th French Open and 22nd Grand Slam at Roland-Garros a few months later. That left a then 35-year-old Djokovic, who had 20 major titles at the time, with a challenging task to overtake his rival.
However, the Serbian did that by adding four more Grand Slam titles to leave himself with his current total of 24. Nadal's constant injury issues in the last two years meant he couldn't try and stop Djokovic.
Djokovic defeated Nadal in their last match before the 38-year-old's retirement at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia. The second set was competitive, but the ten-time Australian Open champion prevailed 6-2, 7-6.
Afterward, Djokovic paid an emotional tribute to Nadal. Although the pair shared a fierce and incredible rivalry, how visibly sad Djokovic was about the Spaniard leaving the sport proves the respect that exists between the two.
In an interview with AS, Nadal said ending his career with two fewer Grand Slams than his great rival does not make him less satisfied, despite acknowledging it is natural to want to be on 25 rather than 22 major titles.
"I believe in having a good and great ambition, but, at the same time, healthy. You reach the end of your career and, honestly, I am not more satisfied than Federer for having 22 and him 20. And I don't think I would be more satisfied or happy if I had 25, one more than Djokovic’s 24. I say it from the heart."
"Of course, I would like to be at 25, without a doubt, because that's what sport is all about, trying to be the best. However, when it is over, you value what has been all together, not if it has been a little more."
There were rumors of tension between Nadal and Djokovic when the former previously said having the most Grand Slams meant more to the Serbian, and he also claimed that watching Federer had moved him more than Djokovic.
However, any ill-feeling between the pair seems to have been resolved. Nadal's comments about not being more satisfied with having more Grand Slams than Federer and fewer than Djokovic were measured and articulated well.