"Rafael Nadal sounds like he was so annoying off the court" - Fans react to Novak Djokovic's take on the Spaniard's pre-game routines
Novak Djokovic recently admitted to being intimidated by long-time rival Rafael Nadal's pre-game routine early on in his career. That elicited a wide range of reactions from fans online, with many criticizing Nadal.
Djokovic and Nadal have together forged one of the fiercest rivalries in the history of the sport. The reigning US Open champion has a narrow 30-29 advantage over the Spaniard in their head-to-head record.
During a recent interview with tennis journalist Jon Wertheim on 60 Minutes, Novak Djokovic spoke about his experience of sharing a locker room with the 22-time Grand Slam champion at the French Open.
"I'm playing Nadal in Roland Garros, and I have his locker next to my locker, right? So, we are so close. And we're trying to give each other space. But then the locker room is also not that big. And the way you jump around like Nadal does before we go out on the court. In the locker room, he's doing sprints next to you. I can even hear the music he's listening to in his headphones [he mimics it]. So, you know, it's pissing me off," Djokovic said.
"Early in my career, I didn't realize how all that's part of the scenario, right? So, I was getting intimidated by that. But it's also motivating me to do stuff myself and to show that I'm ready, you know? I'm ready for a battle, for a war," he added.
Djokovic's revelations of the Spaniard's pre-match antics left several tennis fans bemused. One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Nadal sounds like he was so annoying off the court."
One fan opined that the 14-time Roland Garros champion's pre-match routine was purely mind games.
"Naah bc i always said that pre-match circus routine is pure mind games ðŸ˜ðŸ˜," the user posted.
Another fan wrote:
"Nadal and his intimidation tactics. It’s always so over the top."
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
Rafael Nadal: "With respect to titles, Novak Djokovic is the best in history"
In a recent interview with AS, Rafael Nadal said that Novak Djokovic is the best player in the history of the sport as he has the numbers to back that claim. The Spaniard was quoted as saying:
"I believe that numbers are numbers and statistics are statistics, and in that sense, I think he has better numbers than mine and that is indisputable. I don't drop any rings nor do I have an ego big enough to try to disguise a reality that is not. This is the truth."
The rest are tastes, inspiration, sensations that one or the other may transmit to you, that you may like one or the other more. I think that with respect to titles, Djokovic is the best in history and there is nothing to discuss in that," he added.
Nadal and Djokovic have locked horns on 59 occasions so far, with the latter leading 30-29 in the head-to-head. Their last meeting came in the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open, with the Spaniard triumphing 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).