The Serbian took to social media to praise his rival after Nadal announced his retirement.
Dominant on the clay, and everywhere else, Nadal's statistical legacy is the stuff of dreams.
"Honestly, at some point, I didn't know what to do," Carlos Alcaraz admitted after bowing to Tomas Machac.
"I was very lucky to get to know him... and he's an unbelievable person," Jannik Sinner said of Rafael Nadal.
The Greek admits that it took him a while to see the beauty of the Russian's unorthodox tennis.
"I mean, I argue a lot with umpires," Daniil Medvedev said in Shanghai.
The German is carrying some emotional baggage late in the season.
