"He is so right but a certain group will never get it" - Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal's comments on Novak Djokovic's US Open absence × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Tennis US Open 2022 News Very diplomatic I imagine Nolefan wants him to speak more openly - Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal s comments on Novak Djokovic s US Open absence By Aayush Majumdar Modified 27 Aug 2022 Follow Us Comment Share Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal's views on Novak Djokovic's US Open withdrawal were the most anticipated among a range of fellow players expressing their thoughts on the matter. The Spaniard opened up in depth about his feelings about his great rival's controversial US Open saga, in turn drawing a range of mixed reactions from tennis fans. In the Spaniard's assessment, the eventual outcome of the Serb's US Open participation was always the expected one, but he called it "sad news" from a personal viewpoint. Nadal sympathized with Djokovic and the tournament for missing 'one of the best players in history.' At the same time, he reiterated that no player is bigger than the sport itself and that the show will continue in New York despite Djokovic's absence. "From my personal perspective, is very sad news," he said. "It's always a shame when the best players of the world are not able to play a tournament because of injuries or because of different reasons." "The sport in some ways is bigger than any player. I missed a lot of important events in my tennis career because of injuries, without a doubt...But] the tournament continues. The world of tennis keep going," he added. James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen47089Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwg Reacting to the 22-time Grand Slam champion's comments, many fans felt that he chose the right words to express his views on Djokovic's absence from the US Open. While some criticized the Spaniard, others defended him. "He is so right but a certain group will never get it," one fan said. Doris@Dorli_Wi@jamesgraysport @Nadallica86 he is so right but a certain group will never get it451@jamesgraysport @Nadallica86 he is so right but a certain group will never get it Jim Clark@ClarkAboveAllRafa spot on as usual twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen389Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgRafa spot on as usual twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Nadal will now aim to extend his lead at the top of the Grand Slam title race. While Djokovic will miss the tournament, the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Carlos Alcaraz, among others, will pose a big challenge to the four-time US Open champion. Meanwhile, some fans of Djokovic also lauded the Spaniard for his words on his great rival. "This is fair statement from Nadal. Let’a give credit where credit is due," read another tweet. Emily @emilynolefamThis is fair statement from Nadal. Let’a give credit where credit is due. twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen189Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgThis is fair statement from Nadal. Let’a give credit where credit is due. twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Here are a few more reactions to Rafael Nadal's comments regarding Novak Djokovic's US open absence: baronessvonblixen@baronessvonbliHi answer is all over the place. But I love it. twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen47089Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgHi answer is all over the place. But I love it. twitter.com/jamesgraysport… D@DiccooooTbf to Nadal he’s spot on here twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen47089Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgTbf to Nadal he’s spot on here twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Jagan@JaganPaniharam1This is actually class answer from Rafa. It has "Empathy" that Nolefam was looking for in Australia. twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen31Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgThis is actually class answer from Rafa. It has "Empathy" that Nolefam was looking for in Australia. twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Christopher Johnson (The Globalite)@globaliteman#Rafa's answer is very diplomatic. I imagine #Nolefam wants him to speak more openly: "I think the US government is wrong to ban entry of a healthy athlete from Serbia or any country. #Djokovic is not dangerous. He had Covid twice. Many fans, players @USOpen are not vaccinated." twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen255Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwg#Rafa's answer is very diplomatic. I imagine #Nolefam wants him to speak more openly: "I think the US government is wrong to ban entry of a healthy athlete from Serbia or any country. #Djokovic is not dangerous. He had Covid twice. Many fans, players @USOpen are not vaccinated." twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Mbabazi@OwembabaziBrav5Key word,"The sport in some ways is bigger than the player... Tennis will continue" twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen289Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgKey word,"The sport in some ways is bigger than the player... Tennis will continue" twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Devi(L) @redd3vil777Long story short: important but not that important twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportRafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen189Rafa Nadal in full on Novak Djokovic's absence.#USOpen https://t.co/pBGx7AeGwgLong story short: important but not that important twitter.com/jamesgraysport… Tennis will continue after me after Novak after Roger - Rafael Nadal 2022 French Open - Day Ten Rafael Nadal's sentiment suggesting that the "show will go on" was not restricted to Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard reiterated that the sport is always bigger than any individual and that includes himself as well as Roger Federer - his and Djokovic's 'Big 3' colleague. He further stressed that new Slam champions will always emerge and leave the sport richer in the future. "Even if is not a good news for everyone, the world continues and the tennis will continue after me, after Novak, after Roger. Every year will be for the slams champion," he said, adding, "That's it. But without a doubt, Novak is one of the most important players of the last 20 years, the history of our sport. In a personal way I feel sorry for him that he's not able to travel here." Nadal will start his 2022 US Open campaign against Australia's Rinky Hijikata. A second-round clash against the winner of the match between Fabio Fognini and Aslan Karatsev is also on the cards for the 36-year-old. Cam Norrie and Andrey Rublev are in the same quarter of the draw as the Spaniard, while Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are in the same half of the draw. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Anirudh × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? 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