Novak Djokovic believes his long-time rival Rafael Nadal might participate in the 2025 French Open, despite what was considered to be Nadal's farewell in a "unique moment." Djokovic and Nadal have faced each other 59 times, including 10 encounters at Roland Garros.

On Monday, Djokovic was part of a star-studded crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier as 14-time champion Nadal was defeated in straight sets by Alexander Zverev in the first round. After advancing to the second round on Tuesday, Djokovic commented, “It was great. Iga (Swiatek) was there, (Carlos) Alcaraz was there, and we all wanted to get a glimpse of the atmosphere of that possibly unique moment that could be his last. But it doesn't appear like that.”

When asked if he anticipated seeing Nadal compete in the 2025 French Open, Djokovic responded, "Yeah, it looks like." He noted that Nadal played well, despite losing, with the second and third sets being closely contested. "He could have easily won one of those two sets, and maybe the match was going in a different direction," he added.

Following the match, Nadal stated he was unable to make any commitment regarding his future plans. Zverev joined Djokovic and Robin Soderling as the only men to have defeated Nadal at Roland Garros since 2005. Djokovic commented on Nadal's draw, saying, “He was a bit unlucky with the draw, because Zverev is in great form, winning Rome, and he was serving extremely well.”