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Rafael Nadal Wrecked With ‘Salty Fraud’ Tag as ‘Selective’ Appreciation Questioned by Novak Djokovic Loyalists

Published 11/27/2023, 5:27 AM EST

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via Reuters

Tennis legends, despite being badged with numerous achievements in their portfolio, are never guaranteed to be served with respect from every enthusiast out there. After Italy recently clinched a massive victory against Australia in the Davis Cup finals by lifting the prestigious trophy, Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal took to Instagram to post a congratulations story for the winning team. However, despite the gesture of courtesy, the Spaniard was served with something unexpected.

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal, who is now preparing to make a comeback anytime soon, recently faced an unexpected trail of reactions from the fans. As the 37-year-old posted a congratulations update after Italy lifted this year’s trophy, fans didn’t seem to find it genuine and therefore, showered their wrath over the tennis legend.

Fans spam comments of trolls as Rafael Nadal congratulates Italy

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Italy won their second Davis Cup title after Jannik Sinner defeated Alex De Minaur in a dominant performance. Sinner’s victory came after Matteo Arnaldi gained a massive win over Alexei Popyrin in a tight three-setter. While the Italian team celebrated their historic achievement with strong emotions, tennis legend Rafael Nadal also rose up from his dormancy to congratulate the winning team. However, rather than getting a word of thanks from the Italian fans, he faced a serious backlash from people who were unhappy with his gesture.

A fan came up with an important question added with a clever sarcastic tone.

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As the trail of hateful comments started, fans forgot the limits of keeping their views professional and switched to abusive language. A fan, presenting his hate towards the tennis star, said, “Nadal is a bit of a c*nt.”

Another fan, denying the possible integrity of Rafael Nadal’s warm gesture toward the Italian players, referred to the Spaniard as, “This bald and salty fraud”.

Another fan, bringing up the events that occurred in the past, denied the need for Nadal’s comment as he said, “After his backstabbing to Novak when he was down & was going through worse. I don’t think Novak cares whether he & Federer congratulate him or not so we should also not care about him & fed.”

Besides the comments of hate and despise, a fan, adding a pinch of sarcasm to the post, commented, “As an Italian, I appreciate his congratulations… it’s a pity he’s so selective in offering them”.

The trail of comments continued and in the middle of that, a fan cleverly reminded the world of an incident where he came up to congratulate Alcaraz after his Wimbledon win. He posted, “Lol, he can keep that to himself, he congratulated Alcaraz immediately after winning Wimbledon thats when I knew”.

With these and several other comments, the fans, taking a turn against the Spaniard, rejected his vote of congratulations over Italy’s victory. However, this is just another side of what the fans think about him, as several fans came up on the defensive side as well.

Novak Djokovic presents respect towards Jannik Sinner after semi-final disappointment

Besides Rafa’s vote of congratulations over Italy’s win at the Davis Cup finals, Djokovic took the elimination as a positive event. He appreciated the performance that Jannik Sinner presented during the semi-final match. The world number one had nothing but respect for Italy after they beat Serbia in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

Djokovic lost his singles match to Jannik Sinner, a rising star who played brilliantly and did not give Djokovic many chances. To this, Djokovic stated, “They deserved it. They played really well, particularly Jannik, in singles against me and then doubles, as well. He barely missed the ball the entire match.”

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The Italian duo of Sinner and Matteo Berrettini also won the doubles match against Djokovic and Filip Krajinovic in a match that helped them secure Italy’s spot in the final. Djokovic congratulated Italy for their performance as he mentioned, “Well, congratulations to Italy for qualifying for finals.”

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While the Serb presented respect towards both Italy as a team and Sinner as an individual opponent, his words remarked the massive performance of the opponent team, a positive gesture that is expected from a tennis legend like him.

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Written by:

Akshay Kapoor

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Akshay Kapoor, a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, excels in crafting pieces that set new trends. His analytical skills riding on the back of certification in Digital Marketing help inject in-depth research as he covers the business undertakings of Tennis stars. Akshay’s articles touch the entire tennis spectrum, from iconic figures like Djokovic and emerging talents such as Holger Rune and Coco Gauff.
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Edited by:

Shudh.mukherjee