A new chapter in the war between Djokovic and Nadal: I’m not obsessed with that.”
The Serbian answered the Spanish tennis player and marked the gap that exists between the two.
Although they are usually praised in each confrontation they star in, the relationship between the two has been affected since August last year, after Novak Djokovic expressed his desire to create an organization outside the ATP to represent the players, defend their rights, and organize their demands. As a result of this disagreement, the Serbian resigned from his position as president of the ATP Players Council. At the time, this action of the number 1 in the world did not sit well with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who used their social networks to demonstrate against creating a new association.
Time passed, but everything indicates that a crack has formed. A sample of them is the last interview that the Spaniard gave and the response that the current best racket on the planet gave him.
Regarding the Big Three’s career as the top Grand Slam winner, Nadal stated that: “Djokovic is more obsessed than I am in this regard, more focused on it, and I mean that in a good way. I see you are talking about records all the time. It is not the way I have to understand my career. I have a healthy ambition. This does not mean that I am not ambitious because then I will not be in the position I am in today. It’s just a different kind of ambition than Novak’s. Rafa and Roger are leading the race with 20, while the Balkans have 18.
Nadal added, I’m very satisfied with my career, but that doesn’t mean I’m excited. I don’t get frustrated if I lose a tournament.
These words did not go unnoticed by Djokovic, who answered him during a press conference before the start of the ATP in Belgrade. I can’t speak on his behalf, I don’t know how he thinks, but he has the right to have an opinion on how he sees me in terms of records and all that. Personally, I don’t feel like I’m obsessed with anything in life. I have said many times that the passion and enormous love that I feel for this sport are what moves me. I go for my purposes, and I’ve never had difficulty with them. Maybe no one said anything and then stuck to it, but it was never hard for me to say that I wanted to crack that record or reach a particular goal. I don’t know if it’s just a bad thing, not just in terms of record, but anything, for example, politics in tennis, Started his discharge. And then he made it clear: I believe every athlete should have goals because they can tell you where point A and point B are and how to get from one place to another. By setting goals, you understand that you need to stay disciplined, responsible, and organized. I have had periods in my life during which I did not have a clear vision, and it did not end well for me.
Despite his differences within the circuit, the Serbian tried to calm the spirits with praise for the race that one of his biggest opponents has been leading: I am ambitious, and my ambition may be different from yours. I respect Rafa, possibly more than any other player on the circuit. He is the biggest rival I have had in my sports career. His dedication to our sport is admirable. I can’t talk about what kind of motivation he has. I don’t know”.
The number 1 and 3 in the world would meet again in a tournament at the Mutua Madrid Open. This competition would take place from April 30 to May 9.