Rafael Nadal makes candid Novak Djokovic admission as hunt for Grand Slam history intensifies
Rafael Nadal does not want Novak Dokovic winning more Grand Slam titles than him and he is not afraid to admit it.
That is the message the Spaniard gave reporters at the Mexican Open when they pushed him for an anwer on why he said he was rooting for Dominic Thiem to beat Djokivic in the final of the Australian Open earlier this month.
Djokovic eventually got the best of the Austrian in an absorbing final in Melbourne, with Nadal making the admission shortly afterwards.
“I have a good relationship with Dominic as I also have with Djokovic,” Nadal told the press in Acapulco when asked about his comments after the Australian Open final.
“But the reality is that if you ask me if I prefer Djokovic to have more Grand Slams than me, well, I answer ‘no’.
“Therefore, if I have to choose to win one or the other, I choose the other.
“It is a purely professional issue and I do not hide from saying that because I think if you ask Novak who prefers to win Roland Garros, he’ll tell you Dominic.
“This is the reality of the competition and it’s not going against anyone or a strange motive.”
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