‘Djokovic Is Looking for His Place and He Can’t Find It’ – Ion Tiriac Says Rafael Nadal Is the ‘Great Champion’
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via Reuters
Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Italian Open – Foro Italico, Rome, Italy – May 16, 2021 Spain’s Rafael Nadal shakes hands with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic after winning the final REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
There is often a debate amongst the best in the business when it comes to tennis. The ‘Big Three’ comprising of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic are the focal point of most of these debates. The three have ruled men’s tennis over the last 20 years.
With the Swiss maestro struggling with injuries recently, the debate is down to Djokovic and Nadal. While the Serb had a magnificent 2021 season that saw him win three Grand Slam titles, Nadal overcame his injury struggles to win the Australian Open this year.
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Djokovic and Nadal have had contrasting 2022 seasons thus far. While Nadal is on a winning run, Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in Dubai in the quarter-finals. Recently, the President of the Romanian Tennis Federation, Ion Tiriac, has opened up on the two greats.
Ion Tiriac on Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal
The former top 10 player on the ATP Tour revealed the difference between Djokovic and Nadal. He said, “Djokovic is looking for his place and he can’t find it. He is like Becker, like a child who plays with fire and puts his hand up to see if it burns or not.”
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via Getty
2018 French Open Tennis Tournament – Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia while playing a tie break doubles exhibition match against Simone Halep of Romania and Alexander Zverev of Germany on Court Philippe Chatrier during a packed Children’s Day at Roland Garros before the start of the 2018 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on May 26th 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Further, he added, “Djokovic is a great athlete, a very good tennis player, but to be a great champion… It’s Nadal! In my opinion, Nadal is, not in tennis, but in sports, a genius who stayed with both feet on the ground, who behaves the same as when he was 15.” (Translated using Google Translate)
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This week, Daniil Medvedev toppled Djokovic to claim the top spot in the ATP rankings. With the ‘Sunshine Double’ coming up this month, the battle at the top is heating up. Meanwhile, Nadal has closed down the gap owing to his brilliant start this season. It will be interesting to see if Medvedev can maintain his stay at the top.
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WATCH THIS STORY: The Greatest Comebacks in Tennis
The ATP Masters 1000 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells commences next week with the qualifying rounds. Who is the favorite to win the first Masters 1000 tournament of the season? Let us know your views in the comments below.
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