Djokovic's ranking is an irrelevance to his wider tennis ambitions but now more than ever, he needs it to help him achieve them.

On Monday, Novak and Rafa attended the Laureus World Sports Awards gala in Madrid. Nadal was honored with the Sporting Icon Award for everything he has achieved over his incredible career. Djokovic was there to support his great rival before presenting the main award to Mondo Duplantis.

Novak Djokovic has had a lengthy career of dominance. He's won every significant title and has the most Grand Slams of all time. But nothing lasts forever. The Serbian suffered a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Matteo Arnaldi at the Madrid Open on Saturday.