Rafael Nadal says that Novak Djokovic presents a harsher picture of himself than he actually does

Novak Djokovic still finds it difficult to convert his success on the court into off-court popularity. Rafael Nadal expresses his opinions.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer are idols to an entire generation of tennis fans. In the open era, it has rarely occurred that three players so elegant, so full, so evenly matched, so visually pleasing, and yet so intensely competitive would jostle with each other for every game, every set, and every point. Furthermore, there’s a good possibility it won’t occur again anytime soon. Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal have been that good.

The Big Three, as they are colloquially called, are the all-time leaders in Grand Slam victories, with Djokovic having the most with 24, Nadal second with 22, and Federer third with 20. Each of them has completed a lifetime Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least once: Nadal did it twice for a double career Grand Slam and Djokovic did so three times for a triple career Grand Slam.

Who, though, stands out among the rest? With Federer already retired and Nadal nearly out of the picture due to injury, Djokovic is the only one still going strong. And Nadal thinks the Serbian is the greatest himself.

When questioned, “Who is the best?” Rafael Nadal responded, “The numbers say yes, for me yes (he is the greatest in history),” in an interview with El Objective de La Sexta.

Djokovic won the French Open the previous year, surpassing Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 Grand Slam victories to reach 24.

The controversial Serbian world number one still finds it difficult to convert his on-court successes into off-court popularity despite his achievements.
“The image he projects is worse than he really is; I think he’s a good person,” said Nadal.
“There are times when I get frustrated. Although Novak breaks his racquet, he is back to playing at his best the following point, which is the best I have ever seen.”

Nadal unavailable for Qatar Open

Due to injury, 37-year-old Rafael Nadal missed almost all of 2023. Before missing the Australian Open last month, he suffered another injury. Nadal was forced to postpone his plans to play again at the Qatar Open the following week on Wednesday after acknowledging he is “not ready to compete”.