John McEnroe: Djokovic wants more Grand Slams, Nadal plays without caring about it
In an interview with the Tennis365 portal, John McEnroe analyzed the rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic. ‘They are totally opposite,’ he says.
Novak Djokovic’s victory at Wimbledon has once again ignited the battle to see which player will end his career with the most Grand Slam titles in tennis.
After Rafael Nadal broke the triple tie which stood at 20 with Federer and Djokovic at the Australian Open, he increased his total to 22 grand at Roland Garros. Now, the Serbian is only one win behind Nadal after winning at All England Club.
Despite this close competition, tennis legend John McEnroe is clear regarding which player has exerted the most effort in the sport.
McEnroe lauds Nadal’s ability to give his all
In an interview with the Tennis365 portal, ‘Big Mac’ highlighted Nadal’s great capacity for effort. “I have never seen anyone strive like Rafa Nadal. I think Jimmy Connors had been the one who had tried the hardest until I saw Rafa Nadal, it’s crazy. And that’s the biggest quality he has by far,” the former number one said.
“I mean, this guy is an incredible player, we all know that. But the fact that he goes out there and makes these kinds of efforts game in and game out, game in and game out, is something that people aspire to, but it’s very hard to do. Otherwise, everyone would. It’s like telling Nick Kyrgios to push himself to be number 2 or 3 in the world. If it was that easy, he would do it, but for him it’s not that easy.”
McEnroe: Nadal and Djokovic are opposites
McEnroe also spoke about the rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic and the different ways in which both have approached their careers, which in both cases have been highly successful.
“Nadal and Djokovic are complete opposites. Djokovic has spoken openly about wanting to be the tennis player with the most Grand Slams, while Nadal acts as if none of that mattered to him except going out and continuing to push himself in every point and every match. Both have done well if you look at history and the Grand Slams they have won. You should do what makes you happy and what brings out the best in you.”
Finally, McEnroe wanted to highlight Nadal’s capacity for suffering and the success of the latest treatments he has undergone to combat his foot pain. “Sometimes I imagine it is hard for rivals to hear Rafa say ‘I couldn’t feel my foot, I couldn’t feel it’. It seemed to me that he did well at Roland Garros and now he has dared with another treatment that I do not know what it is called. Whatever it is, he seems to be feeling fine and not in any pain. That’s amazing, and I’m glad both Nadal and Djokovic are on different sides.”