Novak Djokovic craves Roger Federer-like farewell with Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic is hoping to have his biggest rivals by his side when he decides to call time on his illustrious career in the future. The Serbian ace wants a similar sendoff to the one Roger Federer got at the O2 Arena in London last week after he made his final competitive outing.

Federer announced his retirement from tennis on Sept. 15 and confirmed that his appearance at the Laver Cup will be his last in a professional capacity. The Swiss ace, who is struggling with knee problems, brought to an end a career spanning 24 years that yielded 20 Grand Slam titles among other honours.

The 41-year-old's swan song came in a doubles game for Team Europe against Team World. Despite ending on the losing side in his final outing, Federer got his wish to play alongside long-time rival and close friend Rafael Nadal.

Apart from Nadal, the Swiss maestro's other big rivals Djokovic and Andy Murray were also courtside as the world bid farewell to one of the greatest to ever play the game. The Serbian player admitted that it was an emotional moment, and explained that it got him thinking about his eventual retirement from the game.

"Seeing his kids and his family, it got me emotional as well. I also must say I was thinking about how it would look for me when I say goodbye to tennis," Djokovic told reporters in Tel Aviv.

"There is definitely one thing that I will wish to have, other than, of course, my family and the close people in my life, I would love to have my biggest rivals and competitors there. Because it added something more special, added more importance to that moment."

Djokovic, similar to Federer, also considers Nadal to be his greatest rival. The two have played each other a record 59 times, with the Serb holding a slender 30-29 advantage overall. The Spaniard, who has 22 major titles to Djokovic's 21, has an 11-7 advantage when it comes to Grand Slam finals.

"The rivalry is very special and keeps going. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to play against each other more times. Because it's exciting for us and also for tennis fans and sport fans around the world," Djokovic added.