Tennis Prose




Jan/24

1

Nadal’s Hypocrisy Exposed By Djokovic

Rafael Nadal has to get his stories right when it comes to talking about his arch rival Novak Djokovic.

Some of his previous comments…

“The reality is I don’t want Djokovic to win more.”

“Talent? For me, it’s not having a beautiful game or hitting the ball very hard. You can have the talent to hit hard or make a nice slice, to not miss anything. But the goal is to win. The one who has the most talent is the one who wins.”

“I want to hold the record for most Grand Slam titles. This is a competition and I am competitive. But whatever happens with me, Roger and Djokovic, we all achieved our dreams.”

And Rafa’s latest words or propaganda on Djokovic: “Since I have memory, he (Roger Federer) is the player who has impressed me the most. The one who has entertained me the most. The one who has moved me the most. Watching Federer play has moved me more than Djokovic, and in the end, tennis is about emotion. It’s the emotion that draws you to it.”

Nadal on why his rivalry with Federer is more celebrated than his court feud with Djokovic:

“There are several factors. Some I won’t tell you because it’s difficult for me. It’s not my place to comment on them. But in terms of tennis, it’s clear. It’s a combination of very radical styles. Federer was perfection in terms of aesthetics, elegance, and technique. I have very good technique, but technique is not the same as aesthetics. They are two different things.”

“He had incredible technique, doing things beautifully with impressive elegance. When I arrived, he was the number one in the world, and a rival with long hair and an exuberant physique emerges. Elegance against a warrior. There was a unique combination of personalities and styles, and that, combined with playing many matches on the most important stages, turned our rivalry into something that transcended more than any other match.”

“We have all reinvented ourselves, that’s why there has been this intense rivalry. We always surprised each other. Djokovic as well, but with a difference compared to the two of us. He hasn’t needed to evolve it as much as we have. He hasn’t suffered as many injuries. The only thing that has demanded him to improve his game has been his rivals, not physical issues. That’s a difference.”

Question: How did Federer and Nadal’s injuries and fake injuries demand them to improve their games? The Nadal mindset is so illogical and confused now, he’s not making sense. Nadal’s perpetual envy and sophisticated whining of Djokovic’s superiority and supremacy is self-shaming at this point.

Maybe Nadal needs to stop the sophisticated sniping of Djokovic and just say what is in his heart: “I can’t stand Djokovic for ruining my career, my life, my legacy and everything I sacrificed to be the goat. He’s simply better than me and Roger and there’s nothing we could do about it. I’m sorry.”

Nadal, winner of 22 Grand Slam titles and now 37 years old, makes his return to the ATP World Tour in Brisbane first round as a wildcard against qualifier Dominic Thiem.

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13 comments

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 1, 2024 at 10:08 am

    Kerber loses again, to Garcia 61 26 26. But she looked good in defeat. Murray falls to Dimitrov in three sets. Anisimova wins first match since Feb 2023, beat Pavlyuchenkova 75 64. Fokina switched from Diadora to adidas.

  • Cyndy · January 2, 2024 at 9:22 am

    Right you are Scoop Malinowski and Nadal will never ever admit that though due to his numerous self assertations and proclamations in recent days since his wondrous comeback. And he won in straight sets against Thiem 75 61 and I can say oh blimey! He is looking to be back on track, super strong and energised and what precise angle shots that left Thiem in awe ,, he has a heavy duty agenda to win slams and it’s definitely looking that way.

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 2, 2024 at 3:41 pm

    Cyndy, yes indeed Rafa is here to win the AO, you saw that sneer and fist pump at his chair after the handshake, he was pleased with his level and he believes he’s on path to win 23 this month.

  • Sam · January 3, 2024 at 12:15 am

    Just out of curiosity, I checked the latest betting odds. According to those, Nadal is the fifth favorite to win the Australian Open. And I suspect he’d have to be really lucky to even make the semis there. Anyway, we’ll see what happens when he actually faces a decent opponent. 😏

  • Cyndy · January 3, 2024 at 9:49 am

    Scoop Malinowski-/— seems like Nadal would have a clear pathway at Brisbane and could even go on to win the tournament there as it seems willed by the organisers and some such…. So a long hmmmmm as to the AO whereby the latest news at the Hopman Cup that Djokovic lost his match against De Minaur due to a pain/wrist injury and could not go further … opens up the wide path (think 2022 AO kind of scenario) for Nadal to swoop in and claim his 23rd GS … which …. After that feat would be mighty easy for me to level up and get that elusive 24th to tie with Djokovic…. I am just wondering why in tarnation did Djokovic play that match instead of just letting Hamad M takeover… not sure what happened out there…. Does that mean a big Q for AO now as some sites are already saying Djokovic will not play due to wrist injury…. Door seems wide open for Nadal who is looking so ready as if his Brisbane match.

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 4, 2024 at 8:26 am

    Cyndy, it’s interesting how Rafa is getting a free ride to the Brisbane title. And with this mysterious wrist pain for Djokovic, now it looks like Rafa is well on his way to the AO title and GS 23. Hopefully there is no script and it will be the theater of the unexpected. Who knows if he’s really hurt (wrist) or they have some kind of leverage on him to let Rafa win or pull out. Gonna get interesting…

  • Sam · January 4, 2024 at 8:34 am

    Scoop, just a few months ago you wrote this:

    Nadal is an illusion now, a ghost of himself. Rafa winning one more Grand Slam is the longest of longshots and it’s being attempted out of desperation and perhaps also the giant revenues a comeback would provide for the tennis establishment.

    So . . . which is it? 🤔

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 4, 2024 at 10:09 am

    Sam, I don’t think Nadal has won a real match yet. Let’s see if he steps up to the plate vs Djokovic, that’s the litmus test.

  • Sam · January 4, 2024 at 8:09 pm

    I tend to agree, Scoop. So many people are hyperventilating now that Nadal has just beaten a couple of early-round players. I think it’s still too soon to tell that much.

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 5, 2024 at 8:17 am

    Sam, they may be taking dives. The Kubler effort was not impressive. On the first MP Rafa hit a net cord winner that just went out, so Kubler was still alive. His reaction was interesting, not a reaction of any fight, but a sheepish smile that said, Oh I have to play more. A true warrior trying to win the match would have fought 100 percent to the bitter end, but Kubler seemed to be tanking IMO. Kubler a guy ranked around 100 i the world, desperately needing this kind of win, and he’s smiling embarrassed after he accidentally saves a MP. I think he took a dive for the moneymaker, I think they’re all rolling over for Rafa.

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 5, 2024 at 6:10 pm

    I’ve never seen Djokovic as “sad” and despondent after any of his Grand Slam losses as Rafa was today after losing to Jordan Thompson. This was a devastating loss for Rafa. Tough losses for Anisimova 60 61 to Bouzkova, Osaka to Pliskova, and Emma looked good in losing in three sets to a sharp Svitolina. Ostapenko lost to Vika in 3.

  • Sam · January 5, 2024 at 8:47 pm

    Sam, they may be taking dives.

    Oh, that’s a boxing term, isn’t it, Scoop? 🥊

    A true warrior trying to win the match would have fought 100 percent to the bitter end, but Kubler seemed to be tanking IMO. Kubler a guy ranked around 100 i the world, desperately needing this kind of win, and he’s smiling embarrassed after he accidentally saves a MP. I think he took a dive for the moneymaker, I think they’re all rolling over for Rafa.

    And I suspect you instincts are right on target. 🎯

    I’ve never seen Djokovic as “sad” and despondent after any of his Grand Slam losses as Rafa was today after losing to Jordan Thompson. This was a devastating loss for Rafa..

    Pobre Rafito. 😢 By the way, does anyone know where we could mail a sympathy card?? 😉

  • Scoop Malinowski · January 6, 2024 at 8:41 am

    Sam, Kubler smiling said that he wanted it to be over, he wasn’t happy at all that he caught a lucky break and Rafa’s net cord went long and gave him another chance to win. Next point just more feeds to Rafa until he hit the winner. Clearcut dive by Kubler.

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