Boris Becker praises "class act" Rafael Nadal for congratulating Novak Djokovic on his historic Australian Open win
Boris Becker recently commented on Rafael Nadal's gesture of congratulating Novak Djokovic on the latter's historic 10th Australian Open title win.
Djokovic won the Australian Open to equal Nadal's Grand Slam record, just a year after being deported from Australia due to visa issues. The Serbian tennis ace defeated Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final at Melbourne Park on Sunday, January 29.
It was Djokovic's 10th Australian Open title, and the 22-time Grand Slam champion also regained the World No. 1 ranking with the victory. He now has a chance to break Steffi Graf's record of being at the top of the rankings for 377 weeks.
On Monday, Rafael Nadal took to Instagram to congratulate the Serb on his achievement, saying that it was a "well deserved" win for him and his team.
"Amazing achievement Nole @djokernole. Many congrats to you and your team! Well deserved. Enjoy Nole!" Nadal wrote on his Instagram stories.
Djokovic wasted no time in thanking his arch-rival, writing:
"Gracias Rafa."
Boris Becker, the Serb's former coach and a six-time Grand Slam champion himself, was moved by Rafael Nadal's heartfelt congratulations. Becker took to Instagram to repost the Spaniard's story, writing:
"Class act Rafa."
"This is one of the top two or three most important victories I have had ever" - Novak Djokovic
Following his title win, Novak Djokovic told Eurosport that, given the circumstances, this was one of the "top two or three most important" victories of his career. Djokovic added that it took a lot of mental strength to keep it together until the end.
"Everything on the spectrum from the best to the worst I’ve experienced in the last few weeks. This is one of the top two or three most important victories I have had ever, considering the circumstances, after what happened last year and stuff happening off the court," he said.
"It required a lot, mentally, to keep it together, so I feel a big release now. It is like a balloon with no air. It is over, and I am going to enjoy it," he added.
The Serb went on to say that he works just as hard as his opponents and that, despite always having the "mentality and willpower" to win, it all came together in the last few weeks for him.
"I work as hard as anyone else. I’ve managed to find a formula for success where I work to keep improving. That is the only way to progress. If you stagnate, you risk going backwards," Djokovic said.
"The mentality and willpower are always there. It all came to fruition in the last couple of weeks. There is always a place for this wonderful trophy," he added.