Rafael Nadal is mentally stronger than Novak Djokovic when their entire careers are considered: Andy Murray
Andy Murray recently broached the subject of mental strength while appearing on Gael Monfils’ newly launched Twitch Channel. In that regard, the Brit believes that Rafael Nadal is mentally stronger than Novak Djokovic from one day to the next, even if Djokovic's peak mental level is higher.
Andy Murray knows a thing or two about mental strength, seeing how he has overcome a host of obstacles on the court. The Brit also has a good idea about the mental prowess of both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, having faced them a combined 60 times.
Murray first pointed out that Novak Djokovic had outshone the mental side of Rafael Nadal in some parts of his career. The former Wimbledon champion even said that to the Serb himself during their Instagram chat earlier in the year.
"I actually had this conversation with Novak, I did an Instagram live with him during the first sort of lockdown that we had due to the coronavirus and I said to him that for me like there’s been times during his career when I would pick him ahead of Rafa on the mental part,” Murray said.
But the Brit has also observed Djokovic having moments where he has suffered big mental lapses. In contrast, Rafael Nadal has always remained unyieldingly solid.
The alleged tanking against Lorenzo Sonego at the Vienna Open and the listless defeat to Daniil Medvedev at the Nitto ATP Finals are a couple of recent examples where the World No. 1 struggled to find his mental equilibrium on the court.
According to Murray, Rafael Nadal has never had problems motivating himself the way Djokovic has, which makes him mentally superior overall.
“If I look at a career as a whole of every single match in every single tournament in their career then I would say you know like this week we were talking about where Novak was mentally (affected), how he was feeling, that wasn’t something we were concerned about with Rafa,” Murray explained. "And that’s something that I’ve never really been concerned about with him like I never think that’s gonna be a problem for him like motivation or mental side of things. So that’s why just as a whole for his career, I’ve got to take Rafa I think (as the mentally stronger player).”
I don’t think the crowd affects Rafael Nadal too much: Andy Murray
The absence of spectators at tennis events has been a source of great discussion ever since the resumption of the tour. Some players have struggled to motivate themselves during matches, but Andy Murray believes Rafael Nadal isn’t one of them.
The Brit asserted that Nadal brings forth his own ‘energy’ which helps him ride through tough matches. He cited the French Open in particular, where Nadal registered an emphatic triumph over Novak Djokovic despite the absence of fans.
“For someone like Rafael Nadal, I don’t think that crowd affects him that much,” Murray said. “Because I think he has got such a great mentality, his energy, and his stuff on the court is always really really good. He has got a great attitude. As we saw in this year at the French Open this year, there was no crowd but he still dominated.”