Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are going head to head for the 60th and possibly final time in the second round at Paris 2024.

Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal haven’t always seen eye to eye (Image: Getty)

Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal are close friends, but that hasn’t always been the case. The pair will undoubtedly go down as two of the greatest players to ever pick up a racket, and their on-court rivalry is the longest and arguably best in the Open Era.

It all began nearly two decades after the soon-to-be legendary duo burst onto the scene within a couple of years of each other during the mid-00s. Ahead of one of their earliest meetings, Djokovic says he got “p****d off” with Nadal after the Spaniard went through his pre-match ritual just a few feet away from him.

“I’m playing against Nadal at Roland Garros, and his dressing area is next to mine, right? So we are so close,” the Serbian told CBS last year. “We try to give each other space. But then the dressing room isn’t that big either.