Former World No. 1 snubs Rafael Nadal while siding with Novak Djokovic who “continues to take the high ground”

Nadal downplayed Novak Djokovic in the GOAT debate and picked Roger Federer over the Serb in a recent interview.

Former World No. 1 snubs Rafael Nadal while siding with Novak Djokovic who “continues to take the high ground”

Novak Djokovic (L), Rafael Nadal (R) (Sources: Sky Sports/HT)

Rafael Nadal caused a lot of stir in the tennis world recently after his controversial take on the GOAT debate. The Spaniard dismissed talks of Novak Djokovic being the greatest tennis player of all time despite his numerical superiority over Roger Federer and kept his Swiss arch-nemesis at the top. Nadal said that emotions and entertainment are far more important metrics to judge the greatness of a player and Roger Federer trumps the Serb in these aspects. 

Fans are claiming that Rafa downplayed the Serb’s achievements by saying that he did not evolve much as a player and that he has not been injured as much in his career as Nadal and Federer. Thus, he has had to improve his game depending on his rivals but not because of physical issues, which, according to Rafa, is a big difference. 

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He hasn't needed to evolve (his style) as much as we have. He hasn't suffered as many injuries. The only thing that has demanded him to improve his game has been his rivals, not physical issues. That's a difference.
Nadal said in an interview with El Pais

Former World No. 1 Paul McNamee recently shared his opinion on the situation and sided with Novak Djokovic. He expressed his surprise at Rafael Nadal’s constant talk about the Serb in his interviews. 

Of course the media and the fans of Rafa & Novak are the target of the controversy around Rafa who, surprisingly in my opinion, continues talking about Novak, who continues to take the high ground. They’re desperately hoping they face off again, with French Open the most likely. 
said McNamee on X

Rafael Nadal currently looks to win the 2024 Brisbane International 

Rafa recently made his comeback to tennis after sitting out almost the entirety of the 2023 tour owing to a hip injury that he suffered during the 2023 Australian Open. His earlier intention was to return directly at the 2024 Australian Open but later decided to participate in the Brisbane International to have some prior practice ahead of the Grand Slam. 

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Source: beIN Sports)

He has exceeded the expectations of his team in the Brisbane International so far, having won the first two rounds in straight sets and with sheer dominance. His win over Dominic Thiem in the first round was particularly great.

He will now face Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals of the tournament and has become a serious title contender. After this, he will move on to the Australian Open, where he will enter as an unseeded player. 

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