Apart from tennis, a lot has been going on ahead of the Australian Open 2021. The major talk is regarding the quarantine conditions of the bubble. From comments over preferential treatment for elite players to Novak Djokovic’s list of requests, the situation is now seeing Rafael Nadal enter the mix.

Before players arrived in the country, Tennis Australia promised them a 5-hour training benefit during the two-week quarantine. But after a few passengers tested positive for the coronavirus, players from those planes lost the benefit.

To help those 72 players facing a hard 14-day lockdown, the Serbian World No. 1 decided to take action. Novak Djokovic sent a list of suggestions to Tennis Australia for the sole benefit of the unfortunate batch.

Not only did the Serbian’s demands get rejected, but he also received heavy criticism in return. His arch-rival, Rafael Nadal, has now spoken for the first time on the given matter.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion believes that the Serbian ace should not have made this public. And as ambassadors of the sport, it is the top players’ responsibility to keep the public in mind at all times.

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Rafael Nadal disapproves of Novak Djokovic’s way of doing things

Djokovic, Nadal, and Dominic Thiem are quarantining in the Adelaide bubble away from Melbourne. While they have a bit of an advantage over other players there, the 33-year-old Serbian tried to land a hand. However, it is not Djokovic’s intention but the way of conducting the negotiations that didn’t go well with Nadal.

“Some need to make public all these things they do for others,” Rafa said. “Some of us do it in a more private way without having to publicise everything.”

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The 34-year-old Spaniard has always kept his wits about him in matters that affect the people. Moreover, Nadal has a different way of going about when it comes to helping fellow players, and he does not appreciate such things going out in the open.

“The calls we make to help the most disadvantaged players, some of us don’t need or want to advertise it,” the Spaniard said.

Nonetheless, it is the start of a new season that is on everyone’s mind. On Friday, the players in Adelaide will play an exhibition match before they leave for Melbourne.

Of both the big tournaments in Melbourne, the ATP Cup 2021 and Australian Open 2021, Djokovic is the defending champion. Also, Nadal and Thiem are its defending finalists, respectively.

Fans are ready for the jam-packed month of tennis in Australia. The only wait is to see what this season has in stock for them.

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