As Rafael Nadal’s return to tennis comes closer, Novak Djokovic spoke about him in a press conference in Riyadh recently. He said the Spaniard always wants to win titles and be the best, hence he will target a Grand Slam in 2024. This could be a dig at Nadal, who had previously said the Serb was ‘obsessed’ with trophies and would have been angered at not achieving records.
Nadal will feature in the 2024 Brisbane International, starting December 31, after last playing in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open. During a recent interview, he remarked that he is not sure about the level of his tennis upon return. However, many back him to conserve his best for the French Open, his favourite Slam. He is tipped to lift his 15th Roland Garros title despite his struggles.
Speaking on the sidelines of his exhibition match in Saudi Arabia (via Eurosport), Djokovic echoed the sentiment. He said he expects Nadal to be his best and prove the naysayers wrong. He believed the 22-time Grand Slam winner was not someone who would return only to make up the numbers.
“I always expect him to play at his best, to be honest. Many times they’ve signed him out, they’ve done that with me as well. But we’ve proved them wrong. He’s not a kind of a player that will come back to the tour just to play – let’s say – on a medium level, play a few matches.”
“He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that’s why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I’m sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam.”
Rafael Nadal’s barbs claiming Novak Djokovic is ‘obsessed’ with Grand Slams
In April 2021, Rafael Nadal was level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam titles each. Novak Djokovic trailed the duo with 18. The Spaniard, in an interview, claimed he enjoyed his tennis whereas Djokovic was more focused on records and statistics. He labelled his approach a ‘healthy ambition’ but said the Serb was ‘obsessed’ (via TennisHead).
More recently, in September 2023, Nadal repeated similar opinions about Djokovic’s drive and passion during an interview with Movistar. The latter had just won his 24th Majors title, lifting the 2023 US Open. Nadal accepted that he had done the best he could and, hence did not have an issue with Djokovic surpassing him in the Grand Slam tally.
He claimed that the Serbian veteran would have been frustrated if he did not own the record for the most Majors titles (via Forbes). Additionally, Nadal also did not congratulate his rival for the feat. As a result, he drew criticism from a handful of tennis fans.
Nadal has said multiple times that Djokovic is more concentrated on winning Grand Slams and achieving records. Hence, the World No.1 claiming that the Spanish icon trained during his injury break to win a Majors title could be a quiet retort.
