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.

Novak Djokovic is the latest big name from the world of tennis to blast Rafael Nadal’s retirement ceremony. Nadal hung up his racket late last year, with his final-ever match as a professional tennis player coming at the 2024 Davis Cup finals.

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.

Novak Djokovic now holds another Grand Slam record as he officially surpassed fellow tennis legend Roger Federer on Wednesday when he played the 430th major match in his career. After Djokovic's first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday,

Novak Djokovic feels ‘blessed’ to break a record previously held by fellow tennis legend Roger Federer at the 2025 Australian Open. Djokovic defeated Jaime Faria 6-1 6-7 6-3 6-2 in the second round on Wednesday to continue his quest for a historic 25th major singles title,

Novak Djokovic broke the record for the most Grand Slam singles matches played with his second-round victory over Jaime Faria at the Australian Open. Djokovic, a ten-time winner of the event, breaks a tie with former rival Roger Federer by clocking his 430th career Grand Slam encounter.