“It’s a B*tch”: Rafael Nadal Sympathizes With Novak Djokovic for US Open Disqualification

The 2020 tennis season has virtually come to an end with no upcoming Grand Slam. Although fans could not watch much tennis due to the coronavirus pandemic, they still enjoyed some unique and thrilling moments. One such moment that no tennis fan would ever forget was the disqualification of Novak Djokovic at the US Open 2020. Recently, World No.2 Rafael Nadal gave his opinion on the controversy in an interview.

Rafael Nadal opens up on disqualification of Novak Djokovic

“When I saw Djokovic’s ball I thought he was out. It’s the height of bad luck and it’s a bitch. The rule is clear. The referee has no other option,” told Rafa in the interview.

The French Open 2020 champion Nadal called the incident ‘bad luck’. He was surely trying to sympathize with World no.1 as he believed that whatever happened was not entirely his mistake. However, he believed that whatever happened with Djokovic after the incident was well within the rules of the sport.

Rafa was right when he said that Djoker was unlucky. By that time, he was unbeaten in 2020. With his contemporary form and no threat of meeting Nadal or Federer in the semi-finals or finals of the US Open 2020, Djokovic could have won the title. Fans believe that the incident of hitting the line judge denied the Serbian his 18th Grand Slam title.

Read More: Novak Djokovic regrets US Open 2020 Disqualification

Many experts and tennis legends were of the opinion that the punishment was a little bit harsh for the World No.1. However, Nadal said in the interview that the match referee didn’t actually have a choice. He just followed the rules and did what he had to do.

Djokovic was definitely unfortunate whether what he did was intentional or not. But, rules are rules and ultimately all the players and officials have to follow them. Thus, Djokovic could not proceed ahead in the tournament due to the controversy.

The two legends, Rafa and Djoker, then met in the finals of Roland Garros 2020 where Nadal thrashed Djokovic in straight sets to lift his 13th French Open title. Currently, Djokovic is playing at the Vienna Open 2020 while Nadal took some rest and decided not to participate in the tournament. He will soon be seen in action at the Rolex Paris Masters 2020.