Novak Djokovic has hailed his nemesis Rafael Nadal but has dismissed a comment the Spaniard has recently made about him.
During an interview with Movistar+ in September, Nadal said he believed the Serbian would have been ‘frustrated’ if he hadn’t won more major titles than his peers in his career. Djokovic is currently the most decorated Grand Slam singles champion in the history of men’s tennis with 24 trophies to his name. He has won two more majors than Nadal and four more than Roger Federer. This season alone, the 36-year-old has won three out of four Grand Slam titles with the only exception being Wimbledon where he was runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz.
“I’m not frustrated for a simple reason – within my possibilities, I’ve done all I can to make things happen for me,” Nadal told Movistar+.
“I think Novak feels more intensely [about] this than I do. Had he not achieved it, it may have been a bigger frustration for him. Maybe that is why he did it. I think he has had the ability to take ambition to the maximum. I think I’ve been ambitious too but a bit healthier, which allowed me to see things in a different way.”
A day after those remarks, Nadal clarified his comments during an interview with Dario AS by declaring his rival as the greatest player of all time. Saying that it was ‘indisputable’ that the world No.1 has achieved better numbers in his career than him.
At the time Djokovic didn’t respond to what Nadal said but has now broken his silence during a recent interview with Serbian publication Sportal. Refusing to get drawn into an argument, a diplomatic-speaking Djokovic simply said that he didn’t agree with his peer on the matter.
“I’ve seen that his comments went viral, that many people spoke about it. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, how he interprets someone else in a certain context etc. That’s all I can say. Rafa is a great champion and I respect and appreciate him as such – as a great champion, my biggest rival and as a player who contributed to shaping my game and to results I’ve accomplished,” he said.
“I have no intention of speaking in a negative light about him or Roger Federer – my respect towards them supersedes some negative opinions I might have. Again, that’s Rafa’s opinion and I, of course, don’t agree. I have my opinion, but I won’t share it as I don’t want us to go deeper into that. There is no need for that.”
The two players currently have one of the most extensive rivalries in the Open Era. They have clashed on the Tour 59 times with Djokovic leading their head-to-head 30-29.
Djokovic is set to return to action in the coming weeks ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin. Meanwhile, Nadal is set to begin his comeback to the sport early next year in what could be the last season of his career.
