"Honestly, it shouldn't be taken as an insult or a shock whatsoever": Tennis analyst responds after comments by Nadal on Djokovic and GOAT race

Tennis analyst Gill Gross shared his thoughts on Rafael Nadal's comments regarding the Grand Slam title race with Novak Djokovic.

In a recent episode of the 'Monday Match Analysis' podcast, Gross discussed Nadal's recent interviews where he talked about Djokovic and their competition in Grand Slams. Nadal's comments in interviews with the Spanish magazine As and Movistar+ led to some confusion for Gross, particularly when Nadal suggested that Djokovic might lead a more frustrating life:

"I am not frustruated for a simple reason. I believe that, within my means, I have done everything possible to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible for me. Novak could be frustrated because he lives everything more intensly and that's why he's the best," Nadal told Movistar+.

"The [latter] part should have been left out because he really shouldn't speak for Novak. That's something that Novak can communicate himself and maybe that's true, maybe that's not, but it's not really Rafa's place to say, 'this is how Novak would feel had that happened', right?" Gross opined in the last edition of his podcast.

When Gill responded later to Nadal's comments and mentioned that while they might be insulting to some, he personally didn't find them of great significance:

"I think some of the emotions involved and the toxicity involved when people talked about this quote was pretty unneccesary considering the fact that if what Rafa said about Novak were true, it wouldn't be a big deal. Honestly, it shouldn't be taken as an insult or a shock whatsoever. Goal oriented motivation is not inferior in any way to process oriented motivation," he added.

In the race for the most Grand Slam titles, when Nadal, Djokovic, and Roger Federer were all tied at 20 titles, the Spaniard won the 2022 Australian Open and French Open, which allowed him to pull ahead with 22 titles.

However, Djokovic's recent performances, winning four of the last 5 Grand Slam tournaments he competed in and becoming the male player with the most major titles, have changed the landscape. He also equaled Margaret Court's record, which stands for women, with both having 24 titles.

With Federer retired and Nadal likely to retire in 2024 after a year off due to injury, Djokovic appears to have a clear advantage in the race.