Madrid, March 15 (IANS): Srdjan Djokovic, father of Serbian star Novak Djokovic, has said "tennis still needs" Rafael Nadal, hoping that the Spanish icon can play "another two or three years" at a high level.

"Tennis still needs Nadal; he needs to come back," Srdjan said in an interview with Newsweek magazine on Monday.

"I hope he can play another two or three years at a high level," Srdjan added.

Srdjan explained that 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal "spends a lot of energy on court", indicating that "with this kind of style, it's very hard to maintain a high level", reports Efe.

Srdjan pointed out that Nadal's playing style "is very different" from his son and Swiss legend Roger Federer.

As for his son, Srdjan considered that Nole will become the best tennis player in history, and explained that he has been reiterating his belief since his son started playing tennis, and stressed that he will be one of the history's most successful sportsmen, with a chance to win another 10 Grand Slams.