Novak Djokovic plans personal Rafael Nadal mission after hearing retirement news

Novak Djokovic has vowed to give his own personal tribute to Rafael Nadal after learning of the tennis icon's retirement announcement.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner confirmed he would be stepping away from professional tennis at the end of 2024, bringing the curtain down on his 23-year career.

Nadal revealed his final appearance on the court will be at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain in November. He will represent Spain against the Netherlands in the quarter-final, with the 38-year-old star set to play singles and doubles in the event.

Nadal and Djokovic have been friendly rivals for the majority of his time on the court, with the Serbian one of only three players to defeat the King of Clay at Roland Garros and the only opponent to defeat him twice.

And their everlasting respect for each other was evident after Djokovic paid tribute to his long-time rival, where he promised to attend his tennis swansong in person.

"Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport," Djokovic wrote in an Instagram post.

"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever.

"Only you know what you had to endure to become icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player.

"Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you best possible farewell in Malaga with Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career."

As Djokovic indicated in his post, which featured several images of the pair from over the years, the duo enjoyed a number of memorable battles on the court.

Rarely has there been such a closely-contested and invigorating rivalry across any sport, let alone tennis.

In their 60 meetings on the ATP Tour, Djokovic has edged the head-to-head battle with 31 wins to Nadal's 29 - with their most epic encounter being the 2012 Australian Open final.

The 37-year-old also leads his friendly foe with 24 Majors to his name, but Nadal's collection of 14 French Open titles may never be matched.

But after his decision to walk away from the sport, Nadal's exit means Djokovic will be the final member of the 'Big Three' still playing on the Tour after Roger Federer retired in 2022.

Nadal had already paid tribute to the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Andy Murray by namechecking his rivals in his emotional statement, which confirmed his retirement on October 10.

“I want to thank the entire tennis industry,"Nadal said. "All the people involved in this sport, my long-term colleagues, especially my great rivals, I have spent many, many hours with them, and I have lived many moments that I will remember for the rest of my life.