Rafael Nadal responds to controversial Mouratoglou post
Rafael Nadal has responded to a post from Patrick Mouratoglou that caused a stir on social media.
Mouratoglou, who used to coach Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, had claimed that Novak Djokovic’s win over Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open didn’t prove that the ‘Big Three’ played at a higher level than Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
After the post went up, Rafael Nadal replied with a string of laughing emojis, appearing to disagree with what Mouratoglou had said.
Nadal later cleared up his position on the subject, saying he thought Mouratoglou’s point was off base. The full exchange is captured below:
Nadal disagrees with Mouratoglou’s take on Djokovic-Sinner matchup
Speaking on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “For those who think Djokovic’s win over Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals means the big three plays better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner: that’s a far too simplistic view.”
“Jannik is faster, hits harder, takes the ball earlier, and serves better than Novak. Novak has the strongest mentality in tennis history, and that’s what made the difference,” he continued.
“Novak isn’t a better tennis player than Sinner, but he is the greatest competitor in history, and he was better than Jannik Sinner in that match.”
Nadal spoke to ESPN about those comments to say: “I don’t see the controversy. I don’t want to generate controversy, but the point is that the analysis of that gentleman is wrong.
He continued: “Because it’s as if you analyse today’s [Lionel] Messi with the Messi who played in Barça or the Cristiano Ronaldo who plays today with the one he played at Real Madrid – this is simply my point of view.”
He added: “In fact, we have Carlos (Alcaraz), which is a blessing because he is a great player who represents us all over the world. In addition to taking tennis to an incredible level.
Nadal finished his career with 22 Grand Slam titles before retiring after playing for Spain at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. His old rival Federer had retired two years earlier after playing his final match at Laver Cup 2022.
How many Grand Slams could Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner win?
If there isn’t another top contender rising soon, it’s not out of the question to think that both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could finish their careers with more than 15 Grand Slam titles each.
While Mouratoglou’s comparison to the Big Three might be off, he is absolutely right about one thing: these two players are among the most gifted athletes tennis has ever seen.
Staying fit and healthy is half the battle. Both will need a long run of good health if they want to reach those numbers.
And if either hopes to catch Novak Djokovic’s total of 24 Grand Slam titles, they’ll need to keep winning consistently for well over a decade. That’s no small ask in today’s game.
Read more: