"Don't want Novak Djokovic, I'm not a stupid guy that wants to beat the best" - When Rafael Nadal said he preferred easy opponent for US Open final
Rafael Nadal won his second US Open title in 2013 by beating Novak Djokovic in the final. After the summit clash, Nadal went on record saying he would've preferred an easier opponent.
The Spaniard also triumphed at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open that season, and entered the US Open seeded second. He reached the final in New York with wins over Ryan Harrison, Rogerio Dutra da Silva, Ivan Dodig, Philip Kohlschreiber, Nicolas Almagro and Richard Gasquet.
Going up against top seed Novak Djokovic in the summit clash, Nadal emerged victorious 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
The Spaniard was asked in his post-match press conference if he felt that winning the trophy was special since he beat Djokovic in the final. Nadal responded that while winning the trophy was the most important thing, defeating an opponent like Djokovic did make it special.
"In the end, the most important thing is have the trophy. That's the real thing. Because at the end, when you finish your career, it will be the memory that you have," Nadal said. "But the momentum, is true that winning against big opponents makes the victory more special. So that's the real thing."
Nadal went on to claim that if he asked who he wanted to face in the final, he wouldn't want Djokovic; he said he preferred to face easy opponents rather than the best players.
"If you ask me now, I will say yes. Is more special win against a big player like Novak than another one," the Spaniard said. "But if you ask me what I want when I am in the final, I don't want Novak in front. That's the real thing. I am not like this stupid guy that wants to beat the best. I don't want to play against the best. I want to play against an easy opponent."
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced each other in three US Open finals
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have locked horns thrice at the US Open, all of them in finals.
They first met in the title clash of the 2010 edition. The Spaniard won 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win his first title at the New York Major and complete the Career Grand Slam.
Djokovic avenged this defeat by beating Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1 in the 2011 final, to claim his first title at Flushing Meadows.
The 2013 final remains the last encounter between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the US Open till date.