What Novak Djokovic really said to Rafael Nadal after the 2020 French Open final

Rafael Nadal’s 2020 Roland Garros campaign was another chapter in his remarkable career, seeing him capture his 13th title at the event.

He went through the entire tournament without losing a set, taking out players like Sebastian Korda, Jannik Sinner and Diego Schwartzman before reaching the final.

In the final, Nadal faced Novak Djokovic and came out on top in straight sets (6-0, 6-2, 7-5) to secure yet another win at Roland Garros. It was an incredible performance from start to finish and solidified his place as one of tennis’ greatest ever players.

The win also meant Nadal had now equalled Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles – a number he would later surpass in his career. The legendary Spaniard would go on to reach 22 Major titles by the time he retired from professional tennis.

How Djokovic reacted to losing the 2020 Roland Garros final

Reflecting on the match during his post-match press conference, Djokovic had nothing but praise for Nadal’s performance:

“Well, I don’t have much to say but that I was completely overplayed by Rafa, by better player on the court. I mean, he was not missing at all and getting every ball back, just playing tactically great.

“I mean, I felt well throughout the entire tournament. I thought I was in a great form. Certainly I could have played better, especially in the first two sets.

“But, you know, just he did surprise me with the way he was playing, the quality of tennis he was producing, the level. I mean, he’s phenomenal. He played a perfect match, especially in the first two sets.

“Yeah, I mean, the third set I managed to come back. I kind of found my groove on the court. Then, yeah, couple of close games. Had my chance, didn’t use them. He closed out the match. That’s it. He was the far better player on the court today and absolutely deserved to win.”

Djokovic spoke highly of Nadal after the defeat

Nadal recorded his 27th career win over Djokovic, who spoke very highly of him following the match.

“He keeps going. No holding him back it seems like. It’s amazing. I mean, I admire all his achievements.

“I mean, especially the one here. It’s stunning score and results and records that he’s got on this court.

“I mean, he lost two times in his entire career. Winning 13 times, yeah, there’s not much you can say. All the superlatives you can use, he deserves them.”

Their rivalry ended with Djokovic leading 31-29 after winning their final encounter at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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