For 18 straight years, one of Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic appeared in the final of Rome. 18. STRAIGHT. YEARS. This will never be replicated by any two players
Toni Nadal sees outlier in GOAT debate and it is not Rafael Nadal: "Willing to pay the highest price to be the best"
ATPTuesday, 07 May 2024 at 18:00
Toni Nadal sees an outlier in the GOAT debate amid work ethic and wanting to be the greatest of all time. That being a certain Novak Djokovic over his nephew Rafael Nadal, he admitted in a recent interview.
Nadal said that while his nephew was preoccupied with other aspects of his life growing up, Djokovic set his course to be the greatest in history and put in the effort to be so. He also noted that the Serbian has been a lot more careful. This of course is evidenced with the fact that Nadal is on the verge of retirement and Federer has been retired two years. Djokovic is still on top of his game.
“I think Djokovic has always wanted to be the best in history. Rafael always led a normal life, he played tennis, lived and ate normally. He played football and did this and that (translated from Spanish),” said Nadal in a recent interview.
“I got used to it at first, because I thought it was good for him in his formative years. I remember our manager once told us that we weren’t very professional.
“When Rafael was young, I told him I didn’t want him to be too professional. I wanted Rafael to give 100% on the court, but to maintain a normal daily life. Because I don’t think it makes much difference.
“When you’re at the highest level, it’s different. For example, Djokovic has been much more careful about his diet, just like Rafael and Federer, but I think a little differently.
“Regardless of whether one was better or worse, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic all wanted to be the best in history. But the question is not who wants to be the best, but who is willing to pay the highest price to be the best.”
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