In the Spaniard’s assessment, the eventual outcome of the Serb’s US Open participation was always the expected one, but he called it “sad news” from a personal viewpoint. Nadal sympathized with Djokovic and the tournament for missing ‘one of the best players in history.’
At the same time, he reiterated that no player is bigger than the sport itself and that the show will continue in New York despite Djokovic’s absence.
Reacting to the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s comments, many fans felt that he chose the right words to express his views on Djokovic’s absence from the US Open. While some criticized the Spaniard, others defended him.
Nadal will now aim to extend his lead at the top of the Grand Slam title race. While Djokovic will miss the tournament, the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Carlos Alcaraz, among others, will pose a big challenge to the four-time US Open champion.
Meanwhile, some fans of Djokovic also lauded the Spaniard for his words on his great rival.
Here are a few more reactions to Rafael Nadal’s comments regarding Novak Djokovic’s US open absence:
“Tennis will continue after me, after Novak, after Roger” - Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal’s sentiment suggesting that the “show will go on” was not restricted to Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard reiterated that the sport is always bigger than any individual and that includes himself as well as Roger Federer - his and Djokovic’s ‘Big 3’ colleague.
He further stressed that new Slam champions will always emerge and leave the sport richer in the future.
Nadal will start his 2022 US Open campaign against Australia’s Rinky Hijikata. A second-round clash against the winner of the match between Fabio Fognini and Aslan Karatsev is also on the cards for the 36-year-old. Cam Norrie and Andrey Rublev are in the same quarter of the draw as the Spaniard, while Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are in the same half of the draw.
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