Rafael Nadal makes surprising claim about Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal might be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, but winning one extra Grand Slam title wouldn't change how satisfied he is with his tennis career.

The Spanish legend will retire from the sport at the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, Spain. The tournament runs from September 10th to 15th, and in the first round of the competition, Nadal's Spain will take on the Netherlands.

Prior to the event, the 38-year-old competed in one-last singles tournament. It was an exhibition event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, called the Six Kings Slam.

Rafael Nadal says he missed more Grand Slams than his rivals

As one of the legends of the sport, Nadal was seeded in the semi-final rounds, like his rival Novak Djokovic. He then lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, and since Djokovic lost to Jannik Sinner, the two met in a third-round match.

It was a fitting goodbye to arguably the greatest men's tennis rivalry of all time, as the two met in 60 official matches, with Djokovic leading the H2H only slightly, 31-29.

The H2H isn't the only statistic that the Serbian player leads in. He also won more Grand Slam titles than Nadal did, even though that wasn't true in 2022. After the French Open that year, Nadal won 22, while Djokovic had "only" 20 major titles to his name.

That changed in the past couple of years, and with Djokovic now at 24 Grand Slams, it's clear that neither of his two rivals will ever match him in that regard. However, as he revealed in a recent interview with Spanish publication AS, Nadal wouldn't be happier even if he won more majors than his rivals.

The Spaniard said, "Yes, it is true that when you are in the middle of the race and competing, you want to win. But you get to the end of your career and, honestly, I'm not even the slightest bit more satisfied than Federer for having 22 (Grand Slam titles), and he had 20. And I don't think I'd be any more satisfied or happy if I were 25, one more than (Djokovic's) 24. I say this from the heart. Of course, I'd like to be 25, without a doubt, because that's what sport is about, trying to be the best. However, when it's over, you value what it's been all together, not whether it's been a little bit more. "

In the same interview, Nadal also spoke about how many majors he missed over the years. Out of the Big Three players, he missed the most playing time, which, ultimately, cost him also a chance to win more Grand Slams.

Nadal said, "Maybe, but… In the end, it is obvious that I have missed out more than all my rivals in terms of chances of winning Grand Slams, but the reality is that this has happened to me. I am never one to think 'if I had done it' or 'if I hadn't had' (those injuries)."

At the end of the day, Nadal will likely retire happy. He might not have had the best relationship with Djokovic early on during their tennis careers, but that seemingly started to change in recent years.

Regardless of how many majors he won, Nadal will likely cherish the relationships that he built along the way much more.

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