The inaugural edition of the ATP Cup concluded over the weekend with Serbia emerging as the champions. The final featured two tennis powerhouses as Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal led their respective countries. While the Serbian came out on top, Rafa expressed his dissatisfaction with how some fans conducted themselves during the final.
Nadal vs. Djokovic
2019 French Open winner and Djokovic faced off in a singles match with Serbia trailing. A victory would have handed Spain the title after Roberto Bautista Agut won his singles match against Dusan Lajovic. However, Djokovic defeated Nadal 6-2 7-6. Serbia clinched the title after Novak and teammate Viktor Troicki won their doubles match against Feliciano Lopez and Pablo Carreno.
Nadal criticized some supporters
During his match with Djokovic, Nadal appeared irritated by a pro-Serbia crowd which voiced their support for their Serbian hero throughout the match. At one point, the Spaniard approached the umpire to complain about the noisy Serbian fans. He also gave a sarcastic thumbs up to the supporters after the complaint. At that moment, he was trailing 5-2 in the first set. In an interview after the match, the 19-time Grand Slam champion criticized some of the supporters for their behavior.
In a veiled attack to the Serbian fans, Rafa said that some supporters from certain countries did not know the difference between a football and a tennis atmosphere. The Spaniard also felt that the fans did not show him respect during the match. “The respect for the players should be there, and at some point, I think the respect with a small part of the crowd has been not there.”
Despite Nadal’s comments, his Serbian counterpart was happy with the atmosphere. Djokovic expressed his joy at the level of support he received from the Serbian fans during the tournament. He said that the atmosphere created by the supporters was the best he had experienced in his playing career. Having played in some of the biggest stadiums in the world, the world number two said the atmosphere created by the fans in Sydney blew him away. “I’ll remember this experience for the rest of my life.”
The 16-time Grand Slam champion has now won 19 straight sets against Nadal on hard court surfaces. His last loss to the world number one on the surface was at the US Open final in 2013. The two will now focus their attention on winning the Australian Open later this month.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2020
Now the world no.1, Rafael played his last contest on the 12th of January when he was defeated by Novak Djokovic 6-2 7-64 in the final in the ATP Cup.
Rafael Nadal’s most significant result of the present year was reaching the final in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently the world no.2, Djokovic played his last match on the 12th of January when he beat Rafael Nadal 6-2 7-64 in the final in the ATP Cup to win his 77th career title.
This year the Serbian has a 6-0 win-loss record. Novak clinched 1 title in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 55 times. The head to head is 29-26 for Djokovic.
The last time that they fought against each other, Novak Djokovic won 6-2 7-64 in the final in Brisbane, Perth, Sydney (ATP Cup) on the 12th of January 2020.
Here the video highlights.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |
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