Djokovic looking forward to long rivalry

World No 1 Novak Djokovic is looking forward to a new rivalry at the summit of men's tennis after losing a hard-fought French Open final against Spanish clay-court king Rafael Nadal.

The 25-year-old Serb insisted the sport's biggest matchup was still between 30-year-old Roger Federer, holder of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, and Nadal, who at 26, already has 11 majors - topped by a record seven at the French Open. But he clearly singled out Nadal as his main foe.

"We are very young, and we have already played over 30 times against each other, and hopefully we can have many more battles in the next years," Djokovic said.

Five-time major winner Djokovic - who holds the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open titles - on Monday missed his chance of emulating Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) by holding all four Grand Slams at once.

"I think the sport is experiencing some really good times now," said Djokovic, who beat a struggling Federer in straight sets on Friday to set up the final with Nadal.

Happily-married Federer believes he has a few more years of top-level competition left in him, including playing at the 2016 Olympics, even though he turns 31 in August and is busy looking after twin girls when not on court.

Djokovic's immediate goal is to take a week off before practising on grass to defend his title at Wimbledon, an event dominated over the past decade by Federer, who holds six All-England titles, just one short of the seven held by Pete Sampras.

"Obviously Federer and Nadal have still, I think, the biggest rivalry in the sport," Djokovic said. "Because they have been at the top for so many years, they have been so dominant. I mean, I just joined that rivalry, I think, you know, just recently, a couple of years ago," he said.

Agence France-Presse