“Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal Have a Lot of Skeletons in Their Closets”: GOAT Comment Snubbing Novak Djokovic Fires Up Fans

Puranjay Dixit | 28/11/2023
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Fans on social media slammed retired player Younes El Aynaoui after he ignored Novak Djokovic when weighing in on the GOAT debate. The Moroccan claimed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal accepted defeat better than the Serb. Hence, he specifically named the latter as his pick. Fans attacked him for choosing a GOAT on such metrics, saying the duo are not as completely innocent as he has portrayed.

El Aynaoui did not consider Djokovic when talking about who is the greatest player of all time. He stated numbers are not everything and how a person behaves and conducts themself matters more. His stance met with intense criticism after a popular fan page reposted his words on X (formerly Twitter).

Fans said he is very far from the truth. They claim Federer and Nadal are not as righteous and wholesome as El Aynaoui says. One user said the former World No.13’s statement is ‘counterproductive’, as people will now work harder to uncover the negativities of these players to prove him wrong. Accompanying this was a report accusing Federer of misusing his position on the ATP Player Council.

Other fans recounted Nadal and Federer’s alleged wrongdoings to disprove El Aynaoui’s words.

A couple of users mentioned the ‘cold’ handshakes the pair give out after losing, while a few also accused them of throwing matches.

One fan also touched upon Nadal receiving a lifeline for his 2024 Paris Olympics qualification despite not meeting the criteria.

More users blasted El Aynaoui for his bias against Djokovic, saying the Serb’s success has ‘hurt’ him.

What El Aynaoui said about the GOAT debate ft. Roger Federer

Younes El Aynaoui kicked up a storm on the internet after not even considering Novak Djokovic in his take on the GOAT discussion. He said tennis is not only about the statistics, but also how one behaves and handles defeat. He claimed Nadal is the greatest in that sense since he never did things like smashing rackets or tanking matches and displayed exemplary behaviour.

“In that sense, Nadal is number one, we never saw him do anything strange on the court, and I don’t say it because he is Spanish. He never broke a racket, nor did we see him complain about anything or throw/tank a match, he has always shown a good attitude, he is an example for everyone who plays tennis.”

The Moroccan believed there will never be another player like Nadal or Federer, saying how someone behaves during defeat is bigger than what numbers can convey. He said the ‘real champion’ deals well with defeat, which the duo always did better than Djokovic.

“When you win it’s very easy, everyone is with you, but the real champion is seen in defeat. Rafa and Roger have always accepted the defeats better than Djokovic, maybe that is why he has won more than them.”

He concluded by reiterating that numbers are not everything, seemingly downplaying Djokovic’s incredible records. While it can be argued everyone is entitled to their opinion, fans were rightfully enraged at El Aynaoui as Djokovic’s stats simply cannot be completely overlooked.

Post Edited By: Dhruv Rupani
Novak Djokovic Rafael Nadal Roger Federer

About the author

Puranjay Dixit

Puranjay Dixit

Puranjay is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush. He has written more than 300 articles on the sport. Ask him anything about tennis and he is ready to come up with well-crafted answers. He has been following tennis ever since his parents introduced him to the game when he was 10. His favourite player may be Rafael Nadal, but ask him who's the GOAT, and he'll say, Novak Djokovic. He may be pursuing a degree in an unrelated field, but creating quality sports content remains his first love.

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