‘I am not obsessed with anything in life,’ Novak Djokovic gives a firm reply to Rafael Nadal

‘I am not obsessed with anything in life,’ Novak Djokovic gives a firm reply to Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are two of the greatest tennis personalities in the modern era and have had some memorable matches. They are good friends off the court and have great respect towards each other.

But recently at Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal cheekily targeted Novak Djokovic by calling him ‘ambitious’ and said that records matter a lot to the Serb. The World No.1 replied back to Rafa in the press conference ahead of the Serbia Open.

Novak Djokovic

“I cannot speak on his behalf, I do not know the way he thinks, but, it is his right to voice an opinion: how he sees me in regards to records, etc. Personally, I do not feel that I am obsessed with anything in life; what I feel is passion and huge desire. I am going towards achieving my goals and I have never had a problem verbalizing it,” Djokovic said.

“Maybe someone cannot say something and then stick to it, but I never found it hard to say: ‘I want to break that record or reach a certain goal’. I do not know why would that be a bad thing, not just in terms of records, but anything, politics in tennis for instance.”

I respect Rafa more than any other player: Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic 2
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Djokovic was asked whether his source of motivation and ambition is different to Nadal’s to which the Serb replied, “It is all a matter of perception and interpretation of what one says.”

“I respect Rafa, probably more than any other player in the world; he is the biggest rival I had in my life. Everything he has achieved, his dedication to tennis and the way he goes about practicing and tennis in general, these traits of his are worthy of admiration. He knows what sources of motivation he has, I cannot go into that.”

Djokovic is currently in his hometown, Belgrade ahead of the Serbia Open where he is the top seed.

Also read: ‘He’s always obsessed about records,’ Rafael Nadal targets Novak Djokovic and calls him ‘ambitious’