Nikola Pilic believes Rafael Nadal's Australian Open win isn't a "real triumph" since Novak Djokovic wasn't allowed to compete at the tournament
Novak Djokovic's former coach Nikola Pilic believes that Rafael Nadal didn't truly earn his 21st Major title in Melbourne, as he won in the absence of the nine-time Australian Open champion who could not defend his title after being deported.
Rafael Nadal broke the men's record for most Major titles on Sunday, defeating Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in the summit clash at the 2022 Australian Open. The Spaniard also inched closer to becoming the undisputed GOAT in men's tennis, as evidenced by the laundry list of records that fell at his feet following his Melbourne triumph.
Nikola Pilic, however, is not ready to accept that Nadal has a plausible shot at being the undisputed great. Speaking to the Balkan tabloid Indeks.hr, the renowned coach asserted that while the Spaniard's achievement "had its weight", it wasn't a "real triumph" since Djokovic was not there to defend his crown.
The former pro also claimed that the western media were prejudiced against Balkans, indirectly implying that the World No. 1's stature as a player was constantly undermined by them.
"Congratulations from the bottom of my heart, what he has done has its weight, but this is not a real triumph because it was won without the best player in the world," Pilic said. "Western media cannot accept that someone from the Balkans is the best in their sport…"
Pilic has been a staunch supporter of Novak Djokovic and his bid to become the greatest player in the history of the game. This is not the first time the former pro has spoken out against the media's bias towards the 34-year-old.
"If we take the mutual score between the three of them [Big 3], we will see that Novak Djokovic is the best" - Nikola Pilic
The Croatian, who was placed as high as No. 8 in Lance Stingray's rankings in 1968, proceeded to further downplay Nadal's Double Career Grand Slam as he shifted focus to how the Serb still held the record for most weeks as the World No. 1.
Djokovic has amassed a whopping 358 weeks as the World No. 1 on the ATP tour. And while 20-time Major winner Roger Federer is second best in that regard with 310 weeks to his name, Nadal has only spent 209 weeks as the World No. 1 during his career.
“If we take the mutual score between the three of them, the number of weeks spent at number 1 and some other parameters, we will see that Novak is the best.," Pilic said.
Towards the end of the interview, Pilic asserted that former greats like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors were more objective than Nadal and Djokovic's fans when it came to the GOAT debate.
"Of course, the Spaniard will say that Nadal is the best, and some Serb will say that he is Novak, said Pilic. "But if you ask John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors, then you will hear the real truth, and they have told it many times."
Nadal and Djokovic are both expected to be back on the tour in February. While the Spaniard will feature in Acapulco, the Serb will head to Dubai to to kick off his 2022 season.