Novak Djokovic was left intimidated by Rafael Nadal's bizarre pre-match locker room rituals at Roland Garros

World number one Novak Djokovic has opened up about how he was intimated after witnessing Spain’s Rafael Nadal’s rituals before the match at the French Open.

Nadal is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles. Fourteen of those major titles came while playing at the Roland Garros and it is because of this reason he is called the ‘King of Clay’.

Djokovic was recently quoted in a report where he explained how he felt intimidated because of Nadal’s rituals before a French Open clash earlier in his career.

“I’m playing Nadal in Roland Garros and I have his locker next to my locker,” he recalled. “So we’re so close. We’re trying to give each other space, but that locker room is also not that big. When you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on court in the locker room he’s doing sprints next to you.

“I can even hear the music he’s listening to in his headphones. You know, it was pissing me off. Earlier in my career I didn’t realize how all of that is part of the scenario. I was getting intimidated by that. But it’s also motivating me to do stuff myself & to show that I’m ready for a battle, for a war.”