Novak Djokovic named in Top 20 People of the Year for 2023 by Colombian newspaper

2023 was a significant year in Novak Djokovic's professional career as he broke several records. Recently, he was listed among the '20 Characters of the Year' in the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo.

The Colombian newspaper recently released a list of 20 of the most significant international events and protagonists of 2023, a year marked by conflicts.

Novak Djokovic was listed for his historic feat of clinching 24 Grand Slam titles and spending 400 weeks as the world No. 1. In addition to winning the US Open, the Serb also won the ATP Finals, the Western & Southern Open, the Paris Masters, the Australian Open, the French Open, and Adelaide International 1.

The paper also cited an incident where the 36-year-old refused to submit a sample for a doping taste before a Davis Cup Finals game. He was quoted as saying:

"I have always defended controls, but not before games. There is nothing to hide."

Other protagonists mentioned in the newspaper included the civilian victims of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, King Charles III, Lionel Messi, Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Narges Mohammadi, Taylor Swift, and others.

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Novak Djokovic reminisced about sharing the locker room with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros

2022 French Open - Djokovic and Nadal

Novak Djokovic was recently interviewed by popular tennis journalist Jon Wertheim on 60 Minutes, where he shared one of his past experiences at Roland Garros. He recounted a moment when he and Rafael Nadal had to share the same locker, expressing that he was frustrated by the Spaniard's pre-game routine.

Djokovic recalled that Nadal was doing sprints in the room, and his headphones were audible enough to hear his music playing.

"I'm playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close. And we're tryin' to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big," Djokovic said

"And, the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court. In the locker room, he's doing sprints next to you. I can even hear the music he's listening to, you know, in his headphones. So, you know, it's pissing me off," Djokovic added

As of December 2023, Novak Djokovic has 24 Grand Slam singles titles, while Rafael Nadal has 22 Majors to his name. The rivalry between the two is one of the most iconic in tennis; they faced each other in nine major finals, with Nadal winning on five occasions.

Three of those encounters came in the final of the French Open, with Nadal winning on all occasions. Their most recent meeting in a Grand Slam final came at the 2020 French Open, where the Spaniard won in straight sets.