Rafael Nadal lets loose, and it’s rare enough to be reported. The Spaniard lashed out at Novak Djokovic on Saturday and regrets the case overshadowed interest from the Australian Open, as the tournament begins on January 17. “The Australian Open is much more important than any player,” Rafael Nadal said on Saturday of Djokovic, who is fighting a legal battle against his expulsion from Australia.
“The Australian Open will be a great Australian Open with or without him,” the world No. 6 told reporters from Melbourne Park, saying he “disagrees with a lot of things he did those two last weeks”.
A visa canceled twice
This declaration came a few hours after the return to the administrative detention center of “Djoko” in Melbourne. The Serb wins a 21st Grand Slam title, which would be a new record, with one unit more than the Swiss Roger Federer and than Nadal himself. His visa was canceled for the second time by the Australian government, which maintains that the player not vaccinated against Covid-19 constitutes a public danger.