Has Rafael Nadal Shed His Diplomatic, Modest Image For Being More Honest After Picking Himself Over Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in One Major Tennis Aspect?

Rafael Nadal recently attended one of his latest sponsors, Infosys’ special convention in Vienna. Nadal got an opportunity to test out the Indian multinational tech company’s new innovations that he can expect to gain on his comeback soon on the ATP Tour. He also participated in a Q&A round of sorts and his answers featured himself and his two big rivals over the years, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

When asked about who has the best forehand in the game, Rafael Nadal took Roger Federer’s name rather graciously and rightly so. Both Nadal and Federer have had destructive forehands and that shot has taken them to superstardom to a huge extent. For the best backhand ever, the 22-time Grand Slam champion picked the man who overtook him in most records this year, Novak Djokovic.

Most players on the Tour are aware of Djokovic being one of the greatest returners of all-time and for such consistent returning, a very powerful and efficient backhand is a necessity. Rafael Nadal himself has been a victim on several occasions across all conditions and surfaces over the years especially when he has dropped the ball short and slow, only for the World No.1 to pounce on it and pound a backhand cross court or down the line. However, the Spaniard was not as gracious or modest when it came to the question of picking the player with the best mentality in the sport.

And this was a fascinating comment more so because in his recent interviews and social media posts, Rafael Nadal has come across as someone very expressive, opinionated and straightforward and not that modest and self-deprecating as he used to be earlier. Perhaps, Nadal now has nothing to lose in his tennis career which he knows may end any minute. It could also be a new way for him to communicate with the tennis world and his fans to make himself look vulnerable and like a normal human being rather than an ambitious superstar of the sport.

So Rafael Nadal, rather too honestly, chose himself over any player in history as he believes his mental strength is his USP. While the previous two answers on Federer and Djokovic have a very strong logic behind them, this one might polarize opinions in the tennis world. Amongst ardent Rafael Nadal enthusiasts, his rivals and many pundits and neutrals, the 14-time French Open champion is always a massive threat because of his beast mentality and competitiveness to play any point 100% without ever giving up in its pursuit. Nadal’s story of suffering from the Mueller-Weiss syndrome on his foot and largely as a result, career-threatening injuries, is well documented.

So his comebacks have been that successful that his colleagues and other sports personalities are in awe of him. From Roger Federer claiming that Rafael Nadal is a like tiger in a cage on court to golfing legend Tiger Woods praising him to the core about winning the Australian Open 2022 title on a ‘broken foot’, the most successful Spanish player ever can’t really be doubted for pulling off some miraculous wins in a brutal sport like tennis which is so mentally and physically demanding. However, many also believe that Nadal is hyped when it comes to his mental strength.

One reason for this is that in Grand Slams, when it comes to bouncing back from being 2 sets down, Rafael Nadal has only been successful 4 times in his 20-year career. On the other hand, Roger Federer, who is otherwise known for his elegant style of play, has done so 10 times. Novak Djokovic too has achieved the same as many as 8 times, double than that of Nadal. Andy Murray, in the ‘Big Four’ of that era, leads in this regard by doing so 11 times. Although there is a possible counter argument that most players have failed to get a 2 sets lead over Nadal in Grand Slams in the first place.

But the second reason of Rafael Nadal sometimes being questioned for his mentality is because of not achieving some big title wins that Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have. Nadal has never won the titles in the indoor hard courts of Paris (where ironically on clay, he has an all-time record 14 wins otherwise), Shanghai and the ATP Finals besides unfortunately, the Miami Masters.

The Spaniard has never been able to close out the season in style and seems to get worn out after the US Open, where he has an exceptional record. While many laud the 37-year-old for his ability to adapt on outdoor hard courts and grass to win Grand Slams on those, it is questionable that he has not been able to adjust indoors since his natural game is suited more on temperatures and the air pressure aiding his style of serve, top spin-heavy forehand and attritional style of play otherwise.

Other players who have picked Rafael Nadal for having the best mentality

Rafael Nadal picking himself might amuse many fans when it comes to mental strength. But others too know how difficult it is to take him on. Dominic Thiem, who played Nadal in back-to-back French Open finals in 2018 and 2019, once picked the Spaniard to build his perfect player on the aspect of mental strength. Similarly, Andrey Rublev is a huge Rafael Nadal fan, believing that since clay is the toughest surface to play on in the sport, the latter is the best-ever player.

Daniil Medvedev too recently in a similar interview like Thiem’s, opted for Nadal’s mental skills more than any other player. In 2020, Novak Djokovic too picked Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer when it comes to the player on Tour he believes has the biggest mental strength besides himself. Stefanos Tsitsipas also once admitted that while he admired Roger Federer the most as a child and would have loved to have Novak Djokovic’s return and backhand, no one has beaten Rafael Nadal when it comes to mental fortitude.

So perhaps, yes Rafael Nadal does have facts with him before saying his words. And yet, fans might have seen the last of his modesty and diplomacy in public as he prepares for possibly his farewell season in 2024 on the ATP Tour. Or perhaps, Nadal is changing with the times and realising that being currently the most popular tennis player on the planet on social media, being self-deprecating, private and quiet always might not be the way to go to stay relevant and transcend the sport like Roger Federer did.