Novak Djokovic’s brother Djordje Djokovic has revealed that
he invited former world number one
Rafael Nadal to participate in the Belgrade
Open. The ATP 250 event is currently taking place in Belgrade, where players
are battling to secure the ultimate prize and finish the season on a high.
As per the recent report, Djokovic’s brother Djordje has confirmed
that he invited Nadal to participate in the competition but his camp rejected
the idea. The 38-year-old, who is regarded as one of the greatest players in
the history of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, has already
announced his retirement from the sport after the upcoming Davis Cup.
One of the reasons behind his decision not to take part in
the
Belgrade Open is to ensure that he will be fit enough to play in the Davis
Cup, where he is set to represent his country in the quarterfinals against the
Netherlands. The competition is going to be an special one as it will be played
in Spain where thousands are expected to turn up and watch one of the greatest men’s
players ever to have played the game for the one final time.
Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent
past. He suffered a serious hip injury, which forced him to stay out of action
for nearly 12 months. The 22-time Grand Slam winner returned to the court
earlier this year but has failed to deliver consistent performances. It became increasingly
clear that Nadal has not managed to recover completely from the injury he
sustained last year. Because of this, the former world number one only managed
to participate in one Grand Slam this year. He featured in the French Open, where
he has lifted the title for a record 14 times, but was knocked out after losing
in the first round to the reigning world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev.