The Serbian regretted not being there to say goodbye to his great rival on the tennis courts. It's been almost two months, but the farewell ceremony for Rafael Nadal that took place on November 19 at the Martin Carpena pavilion in Malaga at the end of the Davis Cup quarter-final between Spain and the Netherlands is still going strong.

The last time they met, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the 2024 Paris Olympics on the clay courts of Roland Garros (not counting the exhibition at the Six Kings Slam). Tennis fans can follow Sports Illustrated's Serve on SI for all the most important news from the sport.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- And then there was one: The Big Three is down to just Novak Djokovic, who stands alone from a golden generation of men’s tennis now that Rafael Nadal has joined Roger Federer in retirement.