Former
Australian tennis player Paul McNamee used his social media to react to Novak
Djokovic's response to his great rival
Rafael Nadal.
The Spanish
player has 22 Grand Slam titles compared to Djokovic's 24, and it seems that
Djokovic has taken the definitive lead in the race for the all-time record,
especially considering that Nadal's career will likely end in 2024, and he has
been out of competition for almost a year.
Nadal spoke
in an interview in Spain with Movistar+ where he claimed that Djokovic lives
tennis and tournaments with greater intensity, and that might have frustrated
him if he had not achieved the Grand Slam record.
"I’m
not frustrated for a simple reason – within my possibilities, I’ve done all I
can to make things happen for me. I think Novak feels more intensely [about]
this than I do. Had he not achieved it, it may have been a bigger frustration
for him," Nadal said.
Recently,
Djokovic responded to the 14-time French Open champion and stated that he disagreed,
although he emphasized that everyone can have their own interpretations:
"I saw
that it went quite viral, that people were talking about it. Everyone is
entitled to their own opinion and how they interpret someone else in that
context. That's all I can say. Rafa is a great champion, I greatly appreciate
and respect him as a champion, as my biggest rival, as a man and a tennis
player who has largely participated in shaping my game and the results I have
achieved," he said.
"I
have no intention in any way to talk in a negative context about him or Roger
Federer because my respect outweighs perhaps some negative opinions about them.
That is his opinion, with which I, of course, do not agree. I have my opinion,
but I won't share it because I don't want to deepen the topic. There is no need
for that at all," Djokovic added.
Paul
McNamee responded to Djokovic's comments, expressing his support for the
Serbian player:
"Classy
and correct response," McNamee commented on X.