They say that two legends cannot coexist. But, Spaniard Rafael Nadal set out to prove it wrong as he heaped praise on long-time rival and current World No.1 Novak Djokovic, hailing the Serbian as the best player in tennis history.
In an interview with El Objective de La Sexta, when Nadal was asked about who he believes is the best to ever play the game, the Spaniard answered quite candidly, admitting that Djokovic reigns supreme, especially when it comes to the numbers.
“The numbers say yes, for me yes (he is the best in history),” exclaimed Nadal.
Djokovic in fact passed Nadal’s iconic tally of 22 titles at the French Open in 2023, and currently stands at 24 titles for himself.
He was denied his iconic 25th title in the Australian Open, credit to trailblazing Italian Jannik Sinner, who knocked the Serbian off in the semi-finals and went on to secure his debut Grand Slam title.
Despite, all of Novak’s success, the fact remains that he struggles to translate the on-court exploits and popularity off it, which Nadal believes in unfair on the Serbian.
“The image he projects is worse than he really is; I think he’s a good person,” added Nadal.
“There are moments of frustration. Novak breaks his racquet, but the next point he is ready to play at 100% again and it is the best I have ever seen.”
In all fairness, Djokovic’s antics on the court aren’t the only thing staining his popularity. The Serbian ruffled quite some feathers with his vague stance on the COVID-19 vaccination.
In fact, an 11-day rollercoaster involving two visa cancellations, two court challenges and five nights in two stints at an immigration detention hotel ensued last year at Australia before the unvaccinated Djokovic was deported prior to the beginning of the tournament.
Nadal, 37, on the other hand, has been battling injury and missed virtually all of 2023. He was hurt again last month before sitting out the Australian Open.
(with inputs from agencies)
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