Rafael Nadal seemingly disagreed with Patrick Mouratoglou’s opinion, in which the latter claimed that just because Novak Djokovic defeated Jannik Sinner, the current top two aren’t better than the sport’s legendary Big Three. Notably, Nadal and Djokovic formed tennis’ Big Three with Roger Federer.
The trio dominated tennis for more than a decade, and have won more than 20 Grand Slams each. Sinner and Alcaraz, meanwhile, are the top-ranked tennis players at the moment and have shared the last nine Grand Slam titles between them.
Rafael Nadal Mocks Patrick Mouratoglou’s Big Three Hot Take
Mouratoglou shared a reel on Instagram, giving his opinion on why Djokovic’s win over Sinner needs to be taken with perspective. He claimed that the Big Three playing better tennis than Sinner and Alcaraz was a “very short view”.
Naomi Osaka’s former coach explained his point by saying that Sinner had beaten Djokovic in their last five meetings before the Serb’s triumph at the Australian Open. He added that Djokovic’s mental attributes are what made the difference in the semifinal clash.
Mouratoglou also claimed that Djokovic is not a “better tennis player” than Sinner, but hailed the 38-year-old as the “biggest competitor in the history”.
He captioned the post, “Thinking that Alcaraz and Sinner aren’t better than the Big Three just because Novak beat Sinner at the Australian Open is a short-term view. One match never tells the whole story. Perspective matters!”
Nadal added a string of emojis under the post, seemingly disagreeing with and mocking Mouratoglou’s opinion. The Spaniard shared a fierce rivalry with Djokovic, with their head-to-head standing at 31-29 in the latter’s favor after 60 matches.
Nadal Was at the Australian Open Final
Nadal was recently at the Australian Open final, but this time as a spectator. He watched his compatriot Alcaraz get the better of his old rival Djokovic in the final. Both players paid tribute to Nadal during the post-match trophy ceremony, and the 39-year-old later thanked them for their kind words with a post on Instagram.
“Congratulations, Alcaraz on winning the Australian Open and completing the Career Grand Slam! Congratulations, Djokovic on reaching another final in Melbourne and continuing to make history in our sport. Thank you for your words during the ceremony,” he wrote.
Nadal won the Australian Open twice in his career. His first title at Melbourne Park came in 2009, and he then added another in 2022. The Mallorca native won a total of 22 Grand Slam titles.
