Novak Djokovic hopes he and Rafael Nadal will "have a drink, on some beach, some day, to talk about life"

With both men in the argument for the greatest male tennis player of all time, Novak Djokovic has opened up on his relationship with arch-rival, Rafael Nadal.

The Serbian was a guest at the recent Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris, where he was asked about the influence the Spaniard has had on his career.

"He is a very special rival in my career,” Djokovic said in an interview with popular French TV show, C a vous. “My track record against him is not good at Roland-Garros. We are not too friendly, yes, but we do respect each other.

"But we hope – at least I hope, I can talk about me – that we will be able to take time to have a drink, on some beach, some day, to talk about life after our careers, with less stress and less expectations due to the competition.”

The World No.1 defeated Tomas Etcheverry in his opening round match at the Paris Masters, and is closer to finishing the year as World No.1 following Carlos Alcaraz's early round loss.