Novak Djokovic expressed his gratitude to Rafael Nadal for pushing him "to the limit" and praised the Spaniard’s illustrious career following Nadal’s announcement of his upcoming retirement.

In a heartfelt social media post, Djokovic bid farewell to Nadal, who will conclude his sporting career at the upcoming Davis Cup Finals in Málaga.

"Rafa, one post is not enough to express all the respect I have for you and what you've done for our sport. You've inspired millions of kids to start playing tennis, and I believe that is probably the greatest achievement anyone can hope for," said the Serb.

"Your tenacity, dedication, and fighting spirit will be taught for decades. Your legacy will live on forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon in tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the limit so many times in our rivalry, the one that has impacted me the most as a player," he added.

Djokovic and Nadal faced each other 60 times throughout their careers, with 31 victories for the Serb and 29 for Nadal. Their last meeting was in the second round of the Paris Olympic Games, where despite losing 6-1, 6-4, Nadal managed to level a 4-0 deficit in the second set.

The rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic is the longest in tennis history, surpassing the fifty matches between Djokovic and Federer and the 40 between Nadal and Federer.