Rafael Nadal addresses Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner debate and asserts Patrick Mouratoglou is ‘wrong’
Rafael Nadal has labelled Patrick Mouratoglou’s contentions analysis after Novak Djokovic’s Australian Open victory over Jannik Sinner as “wrong.”
Djokovic delivered a sensational display to defeat Sinner in a captivating five-set semi-final at the Melbourne Grand Slam after trailing by two sets to one.
At the age of 38, Djokovic became the oldest player to reach an Australian Open final. The Serbian was denied a record-extending 25th Grand Slam crown as he lost to world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the title match.
Mouratoglou — who coached Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka — is never shy of expressing his opinion, and he drew controversy with his take on Djokovic beating Sinner.
“For those who think that Djokovic beating Sinner in the semi-final of the Australian Open means that the Big Three (Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer) is playing better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner — this is a very short view,” the Frenchman said in a video posted on his social media accounts.
“Novak is not a better tennis player than Sinner, but he’s the biggest competitor in the history and he was better than Jannik Sinner on that match.”
Nadal competed with Djokovic and Federer during what is considered to be the greatest era in the history of men’s tennis.
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The 22-time Grand Slam champion made it clear that he did not agree with Mouratoglou’s verdict by commenting on the coach’s Instagram post with laughing emojis.
The legendary Spaniard later deleted his comment, but he doubled down when addressing the debate in an interview.
Speaking during a charity golf tournament at the Club de Campo in Madrid, Nadal argued it does not make sense to compare Djokovic with Alcaraz and Sinner given the age difference.
“I don’t see the controversy,” said the former world No 1 (translated from Spanish).
“I don’t want to create controversy, but the point is that [Mouratoglou’s] analysis is wrong, because it’s like comparing today’s [Lionel] Messi to the Messi who played for Barca, or today’s Cristiano Ronaldo to the one who played for Real Madrid. That’s simply my point of view.
“In the end, everyone has their own career, and I never said that some are better than others. Each person’s career will show who has been better, and they are all great ambassadors for our sport.
“I think we should be happy to have someone like Novak, who is still at the top after so many years on the circuit.
“Having Carlos is a blessing, because he is a great player who represents us all over the world, and on top of that, he is taking tennis to an incredible level. I think we can only enjoy and appreciate it, that’s all.”
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