Novak Djokovic Reacts to Rafael Nadal's Retirement: 'Your Legacy Will Live Forever'

One of Rafael Nadal's biggest on-court rivals is wishing him well into retirement.

Novak Djokovic took to social media Thursday to offer his "respect" and best wishes to Nadal following the latter's retirement announcement.

"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that's probably greatest achievement anyone can wish for," Djokovic wrote. "Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever."

The post comes after Nadal revealed in a social media announcement that he is stepping away from tennis following next month's Davis Cup:

The trio of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer helped define an entire era of men's tennis, as it became a surprise during their peaks when anyone else won a tournament.

It was only fitting that both Djokovic and Federer offered messages when their counterpart walked away. Federer also responded with a message that said, in part, "thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It's been an absolute honor!"

That the 38-year-old Nadal is walking away at this time isn't particularly surprising.

He missed much of the 2023 campaign with a hip injury and was also sidelined for the Australian Open and the grass-court season this year, including Wimbledon. He also missed the U.S. Open and lost in the first round of the French Open.

The highlight of Nadal's 2024 season likely came at the Paris Olympics, where he represented Spain and advanced to the quarterfinals in doubles with partner Carlos Alcaraz.

Still, he is one of the sport's all-time legends and hangs it up with a resume that includes 22 Grand Slam titles and 92 singles titles. His 92 singles titles rank fifth in the history of men's tennis, and Djokovic is the only men's player with more Grand Slam titles with 24.

It was Nadal's singular dominance at the French Open that largely helped define his career, although he won all four of the major championships at least two times.

He won a record 14 French Open titles and became such a sporting legend in the country that he was part of the torch-lighting process during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As for the rivalry with Djokovic, Nadal went 29-31 overall in their head-to-head matchups with the most recent one coming in the round of 32 in the Olympics singles competition. Djokovic won that one after Nadal defeated him in their previous matchup at the French Open in 2022.