Novak Djokovic has been stepping away from his rivals in terms of milestones and titles. No other player has won more grand slams than him. Djokovic may be 36 years old but is still leading the way on the tour. His rivals have had their say on his obsession with winning the titles on tour. Rafael Nadal had spoken about not losing sleep even if he is not on top of the grand slam list.
The Spaniard went on to say that he views tennis differently than Djokovic. Nadal said, “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.” Both players had been going head to head for the majors since the retirement of Roger Federer. Nadal at present has 22 grand slam titles and is two behind Djokovic.
🇪🇸 Rafael Nadal speaking tonight, on Novak Djokovic and Major events in general [in Spanish]:
“I think Djokovic lives it in a more intense way. For him, it would have been a greater frustration not to achieve it [the Major Tally]”
Source: Movistar+ 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ezPjsn7nB5
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) September 18, 2023
The comments from Nadal interestingly come after Djokovic won a record 24th grand slam at the US Open. The 14-time French Open winner has been out of tour since January as injuries have kept him on the bench. Nadal is planning to make a comeback next season during the Australian Open. He might face some heat from the fans as they are already not happy with the comments he made on Djokovic.
Fans target Rafael Nadal after he talks about Novak Djokovic being obsessed with titles
Nadal has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award five times in his career. But his recent obsessed Djokovic comment brought in negative comments from the fans. Fans began questioning Nadal about his mania while playing on the tour with injuries. It was unusual for Nadal, who the fans have always loved, but this time it was not the case.
The 37-year-old has had multiple breaks in his career due to the injuries. Nadal had confessed that he had taken painkiller injections in his foot when he won the French Open last year. The fans brought in that Nadal was more gripped than Djokovic and that he was not happy being second on the grand slam list. Fans even brought up the fact that Nadal was at the US Open when his wife was pregnant last year.
It is one of the rare instances where the fans have scrutinized Nadal. The injury-ridden player will surely think twice next time before putting Djokovic down publicly. Nadal’s hopes of winning more grand slams look tough, as he had already mentioned that the 2024 season could be his last. Maybe he should be as obsessed as Djokovic to keep his fitness level at its peak at this age.