Novak Djokovic says what Rafael Nadal used to do in the locker room before matches which seriously annoyed him 

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Novak Djokovic recalled a time when he was very frustrated with great rival Rafael Nadal.

The rivalry between the Serbian and 14-time French Open champion is one of the greatest seen not just in tennis but in all of sport.

Tennis greats Nadal and Djokovic pushed each other to their limits throughout their careers and are rightfully referred to as all-time great tennis players.

But there was a time when Rafael Nadal irritated Novak Djokovic off court without even realising.

What did Novak Djokovic say Rafael Nadal used to do in the locker room?

Nadal and Djokovic’s very first meeting came at the French Open in 2006, and they also contested matches at the clay court Grand Slam in 2007 and 2008.

Djokovic lost all three of those matches in straight sets and during those early years, and one of the reasons why he struggled against Nadal was losing the mental game before he had even stepped onto the court.

This happened in the locker room where Nadal’s pre-match routine did not have the best effect on Djokovic.

“I am playing Nadal in Roland Garros and I have his locker next to my locker. We are so close. We are trying to give each other space, but then the locker room is not that big” he said.

“So the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court, he is doing sprints next to you, I can even hear the music he is listening to in his headphones. It is p* me off.

“Early in my career I didn’t realise how that was part of the scenario. I was getting intimidated by that but it’s also motivating me to show that I am ready.”

How did Novak Djokovic overcome feeling intimidated by Rafael Nadal?

After suffering some tough defeats to Nadal early in their rivalry, Djokovic began to turn the tables on Nadal during the 2011 season.

He won all six of their matches in that year including two Grand Slam finals and he also became the World number one for the first time during that season.

Since then Djokovic has gone on to win 24 Grand Slams and leads his head-to-head record with Nadal with 31 victories from their 60 matches.

Their last meeting came in the second round of the Paris Olympic Games in July, which Djokovic won 6-1, 6-4. He went on to become Olympic champion for the the first time.