Olympics or the Grand Slams? The decision has been made by Rafael Nadal. While he has won an astonishing 22 major titles, Nadal also has a couple of Olympic gold medals in his trophy cabinet. However, earlier this week, the Spaniard made a controversial comparison between the two events and this didn’t go down well with Novak Djokovic fans.
The Spaniard will be seen in action at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. Ahead of the mega-event, Nadal put the Olympics ahead of the Grand Slams, saying, “It’s a great opportunity to be at the Games, the largest sporting event in the world. I appreciate being here. This will be my last. I’ve missed two (London 2012 and Tokyo 2020) and it hurt me more than missing a Grand Slam. Winning Beijing in 2008 was bigger than winning a Grand Slam. You feel part of something bigger. The feeling of returning with a medal to the Villa is unforgettable.
However, Nadal calling out the Olympics bigger than Grand Slams led to some brutal reactions from Djokovic’s fans. They took to social media to call out Nadal for his biased take on the majors.
Fans slam Rafael Nadal over his blunt comparison of majors vs Olympics
Interestingly, Nadal trails behind Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam race. While the Serb has won 24 major titles, Nadal has lifted 22 Grand Slam trophies. On the contrary, Nadal is ahead as far as the Olympics is concerned. Nadal won gold medals at the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. However, Djokovic has only won a bronze medal to date at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. As a result, Djokovic’s fans felt that Nadal’s decision was due to the fact that he had more success than the Serb at the Olympics. Criticizing Nadal for his views, one fan said, “Ofcourse he will say that NOW because he lost Grand slam race.
With Djokovic having a brilliant 2023 season, he overtook Nadal in most of the Grand Slam records, including the one for the most major trophies. Thus, one fan understood why Nadal picked the Olympics over the Grand Slams, saying, “Yes I can see Rafa’s thinking, especially because at this point he doesn’t hold any major tally records.” Meanwhile, one Twitter user felt that Nadal was lying while making this debate. The fan commented, “Rafa would give both his feet and his gold medal to win more grand slams. Let’s not kid ourselves.”
Given his rising battle with injuries tehse last few years, the 2022 French Open was his last majors victory. This year he was ousted in the first round at Roland Garros, ending his journey before it began, and even withdrew from Wimbledon. With the Olympics taking place on his favorite surface, he has a chance of medaling, at least in doubles where the King is partnering with the Prince, Carlos Alcaraz.
Subsequently, a section of fans had a hilarious take on this situation. With Nadal making a surprising decision to give more importance to the Olympics, one fan said, “That is like saying that swimming in the local pond felt bigger than in the ocean.” Lastly, one fan felt that Nadal was ‘waffling’ and he had failed to make up his mind on which event was more important to him.
With Nadal’s retirement looming, the Paris Olympics will be the last realistic chance for the Spanish legend to taste one last glory before hanging his boots. Can he succeed in Pairs? Let us know your views in the comments below.
