Rafael Nadal talked about Novak Djokovic’s reputation and said he’s a good man while declaring that the Serb is the greatest tennis player of all time since his statistics don’t lie.
With 24 Grand Slam victories to his name, Djokovic is the all-time greatest male tennis player in nearly every category. Nadal is second with 22, and Roger Federer is two behind him.
Nadal also made it clear that Djokovic is a decent man, despite the image he presents when playing tennis. While some people think it is subjective to choose the greatest player of all time, in his opinion, the winner is determined by statistics.
Although Djokovic has a reputation for arguing with officials and smashing rackets on the court, Nadal claims that Djokovic is far better than he appears.
Nadal said after he was asked about Djokovic’s image: “The image he projects is worse than what he is. He’s a good person, despite his mistakes. I think he’s a good person. When I see someone so successful, I don’t like getting angry. But he’s much better than he looks. To me, when someone with so much success has to project. Novak breaks his racket but at the next point, he’s one hundred percent. That’s why he’s the most successful player in the history of our sport. The numbers don’t lie; he’s the best in history. He has had a better body than mine and that also counts.”
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Ranked world no.646, Nadal played his last match on the 5th
of January when he was defeated by world no.42 Jordan Thompson 5-7 7-6(6) 6-3 in the quarter in Brisbane (draw).At present, during this year Rafael has a composed 2-1 win-loss record.
Nadal has scheduled to play next in Doha (Qatar ExxonMobil Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 19th of February.
Novak Djokovic in 2024
At the moment ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 26th of January when he lost to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
Until now, during this year Novak achieved an overall 7-2 match record. Novak Djokovic’s latest run at the Australian Open was the best achievement of his season.
Djokovic has scheduled to compete next in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 4th of March.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic clashed against each other 59 times. Their actual record is 30-29 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in the quarter in Paris (French Open) in May 2022.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |
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