"It was a bit arrogant of him" - Rafael Nadal on Goran Ivanisevic's comments before French Open final
Days before the 2020 French Open final, Novak Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic gave quite a brutal assessment of Rafael Nadal’s chances in the title match. The Croat opined that the 12-time French Open champion - Rafael Nadal - had ‘no chance’ of beating his ward Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal proved Ivanisevic wrong in emphatic fashion, by demolishing Novak Djokovic in the final. And he has now given his views on the bold prediction, during a chat show hosted by David Broncano.
The 13-time French Open champion was part of the chat show called La Resistencia, which is quite famous in Spain given Broncano’s widespread appeal. The Mallorcan invited Broncano to his academy training grounds and spent some time playing tennis with him before going on to speak on a variety of topics.
When the subject of the French Open final came up, Rafael Nadal revealed that he hadn’t come across Ivanisevic’s comments until after the match.
"I swear that I didn't hear what Ivanisevic said before the final,” Nadal said. “Someone told me after.”
Much like his uncle Toni, Rafael Nadal too admitted that the Croat's statement was arrogant. However, Nadal did agree with Ivanisevic’s opinion that the conditions were more favorable to Novak Djokovic.
"It was a bit arrogant of him,” Nadal continued. “But the conditions were better for Novak.”
Continuing about Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal also mentioned how the Serb was unlucky to be disqualified from the US Open. That said, the World No. 2 was certain that Djokovic would be defaulted the moment he watched the incident.
"I was watching golf at home when Djokovic was DQ from the US Open,” Nadal revealed. “People started sending me messages. When I saw the moment, I thought he was out. The rule is clear. It was very unlucky."
Rafael Nadal opens up about his scheduling decisions and plans for the future
Currently at home recovering from his French Open exploits, Rafael Nadal will not feature in the European hardcourt swing until the Paris Masters. The Spaniard explained why it was increasingly important for him to be attentive towards his schedule with every passing year.
“I am taking more breaks (each year) and the schedule that best suits me to be competitive,” Nadal said.
Famous for his strict training regime, Rafael Nadal further revealed how he was required to change his methods after an injury in 2005. The Spaniard now gives more importance to the intensity of the training.
“As for training, it is about doing it with maximum intensity, two hours or four. At twenty years old, I was at full capacity. Since 2005, due to a foot injury, we had to start to change," Nadal went on.
Rafael Nadal also spoke about the activities that he would like to pursue in the future, after retiring from tennis. Without fear of injuring himself, Nadal suggested that he would have a lot more freedom to ‘enjoy nature’.
“When I’m not worried about injuries tomorrow, I will do things like enjoy nature more,” Nadal continued.
Rafael Nadal then began to wax lyrical about the beauty of his home-town Mallorca. He also spoke about the positive impact that the sea had on him as a player.
“In Mallorca, we have incredible places,” Nadal said. “People stay on the beaches but we have places with beautiful interiors. And, of course, the sea. The sea gives me power when I return to the tournaments," explained Nadal.