Rafael Nadal admits Novak Djokovic is the best but the Australian Open is bigger than any one player
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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are tied at 20 grand slam titles, along with Roger Federer. This was a golden opportunity for the 9-time Australian Open champion to break the tie and win his 21st Grand slam to end the GOAT debate for once and all. But controversies follow Novak Djokovic like his shadow, some of them are of his own making.
World number 1 entered Australia after getting a medical exemption but was detained on his arrival at the Melbourne Airport. Now his visa was canceled for the second time on Friday by the Australian immigration Minister Alex Hawke. The final decision on Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open will be taken on Sunday.
If Novak Djokovic is deported then Rafael Nadal will be the only previous Australian Open champion. This serves him as a golden opportunity to win his 2nd title in Australia. However, he will face tough challenges from US Open champion Daniil Medvedev and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist AlexenderZverev, both of them defeated Novak Djokovic in 2021.
“I respect him but don’t agree with him”: Rafael Nadal on Novak Djokovic
Although Novak Djokovic gained a lot of support from his admirers, so much so that we saw heaps of people chanting “Free Nole” outside the lawyer’s office involved in the case and the hotel where he was confined, his actions ended up drawing a lot of criticism from top tennis stars as well.
Nadal’s recent comments also suggest that although he has a lot of respect for Djokovic, he doesn’t agree with most of the things Djokovic has done in the recent past. “I respect him as a person, and as an athlete, without a doubt, I respect a lot. I wish him all the best and I really respect him even if I don’t agree with a lot of things he did in the last few weeks,” Nadal recently claimed.
The Spaniard also added that the Australian Open is much bigger than any one particular player, including himself and Federer. “Novak Djokovic is one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, without a doubt. But the Australian Open is more important than any one player (included himself and Federer in that response). I think it will be a great Australian Open with or without him.
After Djokovic’s visa was canceled for the second time in less than 10 days on account of ‘public safety’, the speculations of his participation in the first Grand Slam of the season were almost put to rest. Although his fans would still want to see him play, it seems a bit unlikely that the fiasco will be resolved before the Grand Slam gets underway. While several eminent personalities from Australia have now come out in Djokovic‘s support claiming that the government is needlessly politicizing the issue, a lot of people are satisfied with the decision.
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Bhart Singh
(26 Articles Published)