Rafael Nadal Press Conference | Australian Open 2019 Final

Rafael Nadal's press conference following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open 2019.

[@haydengarinduchesne9269]

I love his press conference he’s always very honest just didn’t quite have it tonight and novak was on it pure and simple

[@davidanthony6222]

@milo you are dellusional like eric brady and Jack devaeraux

[@haydengarinduchesne9269]

David Anthony fair enough could you elaborate ?

[@Jayanth_T]

@milo if nadal had won australian open then novak will be challenged to win french open which is impossible for novak djokovic to defeat nadal on clay no matter how good novak feels that day but it's not possible but I feel sad coz today nadal couldn't win a single set but let's be honest he came after that injury

[@burtrand8960]

Nadal is not 100% GUYS!, lets hope for a Paris final.

[@iavor3377]

@@Jayanth_T Novak has beaten Nadal many times on clay.

[@vuha5000]

Damn after this big loss he is so positive...so healthy...love you rafa !!! Keep on fighting and cant wait to see you winning more and more titles !

[@greenkitty82]

He will win the French Open! 🏆🎾

[@Potenti4lz]

He is a GOAT and 2.4 million richer. Ofc he can handle it. It's all a show they don't know they're the cast of haha.

[@Morgan.iiiviix]

And then he won RG 2019 and became a 12-time RG champion...

[@aadeyemi5767]

@@Morgan.iiiviix And the US open again

[@booklover6198]

honest, humble and kind, even in defeat! That is Rafa! What a gracious and classy man! Impossible not to love him! Vamos Rafa!! ❤❤❤

[@elloradiehl8384]

Love Rafas transparency and honesty. He is such an honest player. Respect Rafa!!! Congrats Djokovic...

[@bubasinter485]

Big 💋 from Srbija

[@mhlaclase178]

VaMos Rafa Nadal 👋💪

[@duledudule6169]

He could say even once word Novak when talking about him instead of: him, his, he, player...

[@nitesh593]

This is such an honest explaination of his performance. No other player was able to push him at this level as Djokovic did and it takes so much effort for somebody who has been away from professional game for such a long time and reached into finals without dropping a set. So no worries he can still improve and congrats to Novak, unbelievable display of tennis.

[@rahulchakravarty3414]

I respect you Nadal so much..it's from a big novak fan

[@tirthankarsarkar4206]

Thanks and congratulations to Novak and all his fans :-) From a Rafa fan

[@calvinrichardson9473]

RAHUL CHAKRAVARTY thanks for beer such a nice person

[@marshalhasnu]

@@tirthankarsarkar4206 bakwas player hain novak he is nowhere close to Rafa and Roger

[@aarushipatel6057]

@@marshalhasnu bloody hater😝

[@Piridajac]

@@marshalhasnu hahahaha No1e writing history son and you can sit watch and cry like a fucking bitch he is the best player ever and he’s not stopping yet hahahhaa enjoy dichead…. 🤣🤣

[@omeekevlani9209]

Djokovic play the lever I didn't see nobody's play ever . Truly CHAMPION

[@salehag7255]

So proud of him and his amazing acttitude. How is he so calm and gracious? Awesome.

[@tied2dye1]

he has aids

[@shrutidesai907]

why

[@ms4j2k]

@@tied2dye1 sucker

[@sj4632]

Rafa is great and respectful player.

[@davidmalebranche8522]

I don’t think he was prepared for Joker’s level. He didn’t really play any ranked players up to that point, so he looked unstoppable against all of them. Playing Djokovic is a different level altogether. No excuses here. Still one of the best of all time. He just got his ass kicked this time.

[@Mythos189]

@ The thing is Rafa isn't the only threat in Roland Garros especially Thiem,Wawrinka and Zverev they are very good on clay too but honestly I want Rafa to have 13 or 14 Roland Garros title at least ^^

[@menoyoma]

Such a humble guy, great approach to the press conference after that match. He clearly knew Djokovic was better than him tonight. "he don't have been destroyed enough times to know that, that can happen" - take notes new gen.

[@pinkballoon8181]

That was a great quote by Rafa! He will be back to full level!

[@Mythos189]

@@pinkballoon8181 I also have faith in him always those people who make funny claims today don't know that nothing lasts forever that applies to everything in this life not only sports fingers crossed for monte carlo. Cheers.

[@larvancioramos9748]

More & more DRUGS rafa

[@Mythos189]

@@larvancioramos9748 Where have you been little hater ? We missed you 😂

[@larvancioramos9748]

@@Mythos189 did you miss me 🤔

[@good-Vibes0nly]

10:14 "My first priority at all more than winning titles or not is to BE HAPPY! And to be happy, I need to be healthy" - Rafael Nadal BE LIKE RAFA, BE HAPPY !!!

[@RonPaulgirls]

YOU'RE A MORON

[@FollowFunk]

It really is so true. If you realize you're just trying to win tournaments to make yourself happy, why not focus more directly on happiness it'self. Plus like he said, he's more likely to win if he's in a good frame of mind first.

[@leoneranger9348]

@@RonPaulgirls the op was being positive. What's moronic about that?

[@RonPaulgirls]

@@leoneranger9348 THE WEST HAS BEEN GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL WITH THE DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY MORON PHILOSOPHY.........NOW WE HAVE A MASS DEPORTATION PROBLEM ON OUR HANDS, WHICH WON'T BE SOLVED WITH DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY MORONIC ATTITUDES

[@RamziYoussefi]

@@leoneranger9348 don't feed the troll.. he or she clearly doesn't understand the context that it's being talked about

[@Futhi.Johnson]

I'm a Djoker fan, and I really feel for Nadal..and wish him well

[@zak8458]

@@tied2dye1 you're a dork!

[@lilbird2734]

@@tied2dye1 is that what u are?

[@saiparayan4047]

@@lilbird2734 dude we have to shut these fedtards with Nadal and novaks records

[@patrikmurphy8468]

I am Novak fan, but i can definitely say champions like Nadal is as humble as they get. We know you will come back stronger at the French Open 😊.

[@aragorn318]

I would hope he comes back stronger than this at FO. This was only a 2 hr match

[@who5520]

Rafa and Novak are ones of the best ever and yet again always have such a respect for each other. Truly amazing players and amazing human beings. Well done 👍 respect ✊. Idemoooo 🎾🎾🎾.

[@tobyrumi6122]

Great to witness Greatness still from the Big 3!! It will be close who will have the most Slams in the end 🏆🏆🏆

[@isavin1730]

Federer, Nadal, Djokovic--what a decade of tennis these guys showed. Astronomical stuff.

[@mhlaclase178]

Federer 🇨🇭 Nadal 🇪🇸 Djokovic 🇷🇸 greatest legendary always

[@rolandhill8226]

I love Novak, but I wouldn't for a second rub Rafa's nose into this loss for him. In my eyes, Rafa is a true giant, one with class and decency. He's phenomenal and we'll hear from him many times yet. His fans should be proud of him and all of us who love tennis at its finest should likewise be proud of him. Rafa: you're special.

[@GGRUGBY]

You are Legend

[@tied2dye1]

and ur a dork

[@quintb.5162]

Roger Waters Dude.... you’re an adult calling someone a dork. Needa go outside spend some time away from the keyboard. Pretty pathetic

[@Jimmyjim2307]

@@tied2dye1 I'll buy you a beer

[@eylulbaharkaradag6495]

Yess

[@mhlaclase178]

Always king of Clay

[@RubyChiang]

I feel very sad to hear Rafa say that he may needed something else/something more. Looking forward to the RG No.12 in June!!! Rafa will always be the winner in our hearts!!!

[@tabularasa7711]

Rafa's analysis of defensive vs. offensive position is a metaphor for life. When we're facing an obstacle, we need to recognize some days we have answers to the challenges, again and again coming back. Other days, we need to be happy for the level we reached and focus on our future and health and wellness prospects. Thank you, Rafa. We didn't see you compete at your highest level, but again, you're in it for the long game, the long haul. :)

[@dejan011]

Nothing but deepest respect for this man. I wish him to win at least 21 GS title. And I am Serb and Djoković's fan, so you can understand how great Nadal is in my eyes

[@geerowr.6666]

Rafa. You are a winner still. I was sad for you. But listening to this press conference makes me proud to be your fan. No whining, no excuses. This is how a healthy grown 👨 conducts himself. Thank you for your play and your extraordinary behavior in the face of defeat. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@aashitrajopdhya2514]

He looked fairly satisfied at his first official event after 4 months and showed determination to work hard even at this age c'mon rafa

[@pacifist1360]

I have watched Djokovic's press conference responding to his victory against Nadal and his talk about Nadal, the game of tennis and his happiness of winning as well as his sense of humor was amazing. But watching Nadal's press conference in reaction to his loss is remarkable too that was also able to maintain a positive attitude even after losing such an important match - the fact that he was in the final made him happy. That's what makes them true champions, being so humble, eloquent, articulate in both win or loss.

[@GuibinXu]

Great interview Rafa, I am not a good athlete, but I could understand what he said... He needs more time to get to his A level. Great tournament and love the new serve it could add a few more years to his career...

[@vanessacarvalho9076]

Nadal loss today proves exactly the opposite what people say about him retiring and faking injury when losing. He was outplayed, had no chance to recover, lost and took the defeat with humility. Much respect for that.

[@katerinadicamella]

People need to give him a break, yes the better player won, yes maybe Nadal did not playing his best, yes if he did play his best didn't mean he would win. He is a humble person, honest. He just came back after injury and able reached a GS final but unfortunately he was beaten by a much better player on the day, there's no shame in any regard. Get better to be in your best shape, you'll have another chance in the AO final!!

[@heitord5539]

Katerina Luna diCamella wake up! Djokovic, outside clay, is a WAY BETTER player than Nadal in ANY day. That will not change. His UNIQUE chance is in RG.

[@nempowa]

Before the match Nadal was seeing as his best form ever on hard with new serve blabla. The reality is djoko is and always be better on hard. Stop making excuse

[@abhishekkrishnan5463]

@@nempowa Djokovic in this form would've probably beaten him anyways. But Nadal may have atleast challenged him a little more if he had played some challenging matches before the tournament or even during the tournament. It's not really an excuse

[@nempowa]

Abhishek Krishnan Nadal was over estimated dude. Today he wasn’t playing bad, djoko didn’t allow him and give him time to play.

[@Teejayxd-wf6ut]

@@nempowa Go back to playing Fortnite, Your 12 year old opinion is irrelevant, coming from a Roger fan

[@4lugan]

I am Novak's fan. But man, Rafael is a true champion. He has the right attitude. Great man Rafael.

[@draxlerchronicles5851]

Deluded fan-boys thought that bagelling Tsitsipas was as good as winning the title. Well Novak put things firmly into perspective in the most BRUTAL fashion! Bring on RG19!

[@omadaw]

What an inspirational man.aVery humble, very honest and charismatic. Rafa, Roger and Novak are the best in their own style of play. Each one of then are unbeatable on their best day. What an amazing achievements by the there.20,17 and 15grand Slams just unbelievable.

[@ianlaing4935]

Great attitude from Rafa he will move on and win a 12th French open in June

[@aishere9172]

Man, even that’s doubtful. If Novak works on his core strength and upper body strength, he’s a very good pick to win the French too. I still have him as second favorite because Rafa, heck even Thiem are way stronger than him, but he’s still got a great chance. RG is all about physicality and strength, it’s all about attrition, and it’s all about defensive tennis. Rafa dominates the former two, but Novak is king of the latter. So it’s still Rafa’s to lose of course, but Novak could find a way to beat him.

[@bakheetaljedhi1065]

No he wont Nole is just a better player and will beat him in Rg just like 2015☺☺☺☺ .

[@badzstar519]

idiots saying novak beat rafa at RG 2015 ...Rafa was injured that time 2015 2016 two worst years of rafa cause of lot of injuries and surgeries...Just listen here what rafa says he says as he plays more matches he will beat players like novak..Today even rafa accepted that novak was better than him

[@80sruler]

That’s the next event that matters for the Top Guys. In the meantime Zverev and guys at his level will win a few secondary events and get all the analysts excited - then they’ll show up at the next major and be summarily dismissed

[@klamentyne5991]

I was thinking the same, I was sad but look at him...what an attitude so practical and matter of fact

[@Gollum1966]

It is always wonderful to hear Rafa discuss his performance - always honest, engaged and fair. It was so emotional to watch the match and between your own emotions and the commentators constant opinions and theories you are often left with a distorted view of the match. It's so nerver-racking to watch when your favourite player is being outplayed you assume nerves play a factor for them as you can't imagine doing what they do without feeling that way but we forget that this is their regular work (even the important matches) and they understand both success and defeat at this stage in their careers. Rafa is constructive, positive and very experienced. It is great he puts it in perspective and reminds himself that to get into a GS Final after almost 4 months without competitive matches is a huge achievement. To play so well throughout the 2 weeks (which I think surprised everyone after a long time away) was an exciting thrill to watch. I think many of us missed him so much and were so happy to see him back and playing so well - that combined with the constant reminders of the epic 2012 Final brought unrealistic expectation and heightened anticipation. He is right of course, as he would be, as he knows himself, his game and tennis so well - it's perfectly understandable that he needs more time, more matches to get the defensive part of his game back to where it was, to get to another level and play someone like Novak in his current outstanding form. Novak was exceptional and this loss will only feed Rafa's motivation. I look forward to all the Rafa matches to come and to see what's possible. What a player, what a person he is. Stay healthy and happy.

[@no.1vakgoatovic944]

You had a great tournament Rafa, i hope you stay completely healthy this year, so we can enjoy many more matches between you & Nole! 🐊🐃🎾 🔥

[@myskibunny4191]

Rafa, love his honest and humble view. Man is always what you see is what you get. Love him for that. A great athlete and want to see more of him with hopefully more success in the future.

[@travisbickle5279]

I LOVE YOU NADAL ... hope you and Djokovic will win more than 20 grandslams .... best regards from a djokovic fan

[@devasavant9252]

Thank you from a Rafa fan, I also hope great things from Nole too, well deserved from him today but still gutted about the loss

@@devasavant9252 and Travis Bickle , this is beautiful!

[@devasavant9252]

Boban Pantović thank you, this is all about respect you may not like losing but you have to always respect your opponent, that also means in life

[@arvindgururaj4907]

You are a rare breed of fans that have respect for their opponents instead of rubbing victories in their faces. Kudos.

[@saurabhchakrabarty7362]

"...blah blah blah.........win more than 20 Grandslams" Why exactly 20? Jealous of Roger's number??! Its so silly to read people bringing comparisons all the time!

[@alekmenic4803]

I 'm big Nole fan.,but you are very nice guy and amazing tennis player.Two best players ever .Hope we going to be lucky to watch two of you long ,long time.Stayed healthy

[@gordanaruzic2578]

Im a djokovic fan but i love nadal too. They are both excellent and great men! God bless them both..i wish them great heath♡

[@floweroflife0306]

Honest answers. I am a Federer fan, but I appreciate Rafa's realism. No one could have beaten Nole the way he played in the final. And his priority "to be happy" shows he's not a just a tennis machine.

[@jakegargiulo5101]

About Tsitsipas: “He don’t have been destroyed enough times” hahaha 😂😂 omg

[@Marifer19]

is that phrase correct in english ? im a spanish native but I dont understand why he said destroyed hahaha is that correct? someone destroyed?

[@spiritusIRATUS]

@@Marifer19 The correct one would be "He hasn't been destroyed enough times", but you can still get the meaning. Nadal thinks in terms of spanish grammar even when speaking english, which is perfectly normal as english grammar is much different than most languages.

[@d.k.2594]

That sounded a bit harsh haha

[@serendipitousbliss6548]

@@Marifer19 He only said destroyed because thats the word the journalist used in the question.

[@user-em4wh5ji3w]

María Fernanda Ruiz Moya as a native speaker, I get what he meant, but “destroyed” is a very harsh but funny word to use to say what he meant. Of course rafa probably isn’t able to decipher the cultural subtlety of the word so it makes it hilarious.

[@solf2000]

What a Personality, Rafa! During press conferences, whether you Won/Lost is approached the same way; that's what I've been witnessed. And that way is Humbleness.

[@taylorpack2839]

I don’t understand what happened to the 2013 style of play, where is the deep slices and forehand flat shots, with drop shots in the mix, he attacked his strengths instead of his weaknesses, idk if he was just sick or scared to go after shots due to injuries or what.

[@SyedAli-ev3ou]

You are a different tennis player unlike any other flat shot players .. You are one of a kind so it does not matter how you played tonight.. a legend is simply a legend all the time :)

[@siucheong]

52 slams between nole,rafa &roger wrap your head around that

[@Bit2brain]

Siu Cheong 53 and counting...😳

[@cypherboss8844]

59 now and yes its still counting :)

[@rohandua6105]

@@cypherboss8844 61 and still counting

[@heathermoller5351]

Rapha the Legend lives on and will be back and at his best on all levels! Such character, maturity and humility plus his amazing team sets an amazing standard of ethics and hard work ! Well done! Your light shines brighter than ever in the bigger picture!

[@MrCurtycurt]

Novak had injuries also dont hear him complaining!!

[@peppersweet77]

We are all so proud of you Rafa, what you've achieved is unbelievable and your spirit is unbroken and most important is that you are healthy. You always have the right attitude, on and off court. You are the real champion, no matter what happened today because so, so many people love and support you. You and Roger are true role models and an inspiration for People, especially kids, because you are honest and humble and stay true to yourself. Vamos Rafa, siempre contigo!

[@aishere9172]

Commiserations for Rafa. He fought man. He really did. But Novak deconstructed his newfound game. He knew he were gonna try and be aggressive against him, and he redirected it against him. He took your forehand away from him. And the end result was that he was mentally spent after blitzing his (pretty easy) AO draw. Rafa had no options. At least Rafa now knows what Fed felt like in 2008 Roland Garros lol.

[@80sruler]

A Is Here Novak is the worlds greatest counter puncher

[@Phurngirathaana]

I'm a Nadal fan But yeah that last line was exactly what I thought :)

[@PrivaBonito]

No, today he didn't fight

[@CarnaticVegan]

@hyrum I'm a fan of good tennis no matter who plays it. Federer had mononucleosis in 2008.

[@Roxy-uz6ys]

man I don't understand how he can be so serene after such a tough match for him, he once said in a presser "being a good winner is easy because you're happy what really matters is being a good loser because it is much harder but you can't let your emotions dominate you" I admire this so much

[@temperedwell6295]

Djokovic simply moves too well for Nadal to be able to hurt him from the baseline.

[@tstonyaland]

I haven't seen one of his press conferences in a very long time, but I'm impressed: His English and speech have really improved tremendously! I remember when every other word was "No?" and lots of incomplete sentences. Great interview, Rafa!

[@andyjaviermercedes2662]

Even rafa admits he played so well.

[@tied2dye1]

fucking liar LOL

[@LisLot9]

@@tied2dye1 What did he lie about Roger?

[@Potenti4lz]

His semis was much better!

[@aleksamilosevic8792]

@@Potenti4lz Poulie and nadal arent on the same calibear.

[@dq7143]

Rafa came back from another significant injury and got into another grand slam final in less than a year. His consolation prize was 2.5 million dollars. Respect.

[@Емил-ъ6и]

Rafa didn't meet enough opposition until the final. He wasn't ready to play a top player

[@fernandog.aguirre2791]

Straight forward, honest and professional at the court and outside of it. He assumes and recognized his opponent. Thank you for the great tennis and respect.Grande Rafa!!!

[@Onmysheet]

Nadal intelligent as always.

[@mhlaclase178]

Always 💥 NADAL

[@scottwarren4998]

intelligent? He said he needed an EXTRA thing. Sounds like he's talking about drugs lol

[@lilbird2734]

What a great human being! So honest and humble. He desereves all the respect that comes from all his fans. The wind will be changing before french open! Everyone should respect the fact the level he played here after he had all the medical problems he has faced since us open.

[@maverick6f]

Who’s here after seeing Nadal annihilated Novak in Roland Garros 2020?

[@ExtremyPvP]

@DreamTaker AO19 final was shorter though...

[@coodudenikhil]

@@ExtremyPvP that was hard court. This was clay. Ball travels faster on hard court.

[@ExtremyPvP]

@DreamTaker What i mean is that it took less time for djokovic to beat nadal at ao19

[@lordawesome-epicgaming2866]

@DreamTaker i would say scoreline in the first two sets was a bit unfair to Djokovic. 8 of the first 10 games went to deuce at RG. In AO Novak only lost one point on serve in the first set. So yeah I would say Novak’s was better

[@lordawesome-epicgaming2866]

@DreamTaker Yeah that's not the point. People can think what they want. I'm just saying what I think, from actually watching the RG final.

[@nicol3ta335]

Be happy! Be healthy! Well done Rafa! Keep showing us you are one of the best tennis player! All the best!

[@a4007035]

This loss will really hurt Rafa that he wants able to compete with Djokovic. In previous matches against Djokovic e.g. AO 2012, Wimbledon 2018 Rafa was able to compete and those matches were pretty much 50-50. But this loss just reinforces the power shift and gulf in difference between the two players. I can't see Rafa winning another slam because his game has changed now and he is no longer to consistently (over 5 sets) outlast his opponents. I hope I'm wrong though.

[@a4007035]

Also, (correct me if im wrong) but i think this is the first time Rafa has completed in a grand slam final and not won a set.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

His game has changed for the better that's why he didn't lose a set up to the finals.

[@NikBL99]

Here it is, one match bad and you think he cant win another slam. I think he is mentally off because he has the tools to beat Djokovic. Nadal was clearly not on his game today as he missed many easy points and Djokovic was mentally better and played much better. Can't count Nadal out, it's just one match

[@Thethloh]

This is life you win some and lose some...see you compete again. Rafa forever.

[@kh5437]

Rafa, you are awesome! Have you ever considered Reiki or hypnotism to unblock your mind as far a Djokovic is concerned? I think you are more talented than he is, I do think that you CAN beat him everytime you meet if you have your mind unblocked. We love you & wish you the very best of luck in all the rest of the tournaments you play! Please keep playing because you are the reason so many people watch tennis! Thank you!

[@maxhumpston]

Fantastic attitude, super positive and animated, what a legend.

[@scottwarren4998]

He said he needed an EXTRA thing. Sounds like he's talking about drugs lol

[@adithya9710679609]

Ur brain is filled with shit

[@olddudebear]

I have so much respect for this man!

[@stefano78]

Didn’t realize Novak was in the room and asking questions too :) @5:20

[@IshanPandit]

Hahaha yeah

[@bellakhokhar5621]

Stay strong Rafa - great to have you back on court and to hear your balanced thoughts about your match and the sport.

[@vesnacabarkapa4815]

I am huge Novak fan, but Nadal is such a down to Earth player and very realistic. The one player l cannot stand is Roger. He would never admit like Rafa that other player played better tennis.respect Nadal

[@thetruthwillsetyoufree9209]

That's such nonesense. You obviously just see what you want to.

[@amruthkumar646]

You haven't seen enough press conferences and Roger's post match talks then

[@miodragdjordjevic1421]

U pravu si Pederera u Srbiji niko ne voli. Naduvenko.

[@dannyslammy4379]

you trolling?

[@vesnacabarkapa4815]

Federer will be and will remain as an idiot in sport of tennis! Sorry can’t stand him.

[@BinaryRex18]

Unbelievable that rafa would go on to win 5 slams after this press conference

[@80sruler]

Fair enough - with the time off and cruising through - he wasn’t ready to pick it up in prime time. Spent the whole match playing D. On to the French !

[@corneliamaccaro8969]

Rafa you are the BEST !! Love to watch you play ! You have the best attitude & you will be back on TOP !! All the best ! Thank you for a wonderful Aussie Open experience !! XOXO

[@Futhi.Johnson]

Order has been restored..the so called NextGen, must wait for now !!

[@painetcirque5695]

How could one not love this man's character? Look at how simple and acute self assessment he is able of. He keeps himself objective, away from pride, from arrogance, from any victim playing which could justify his loss and genuinely admires his opponent for his tennis quality providing with all possible reason on which such admiration is set upon, while he enhances on his own chance to perform better on the next tournament. Rafa Nadal is this role model which children, younger ones and ourselves, the adults, can learn from him. Listen to the construction of his English sentences, only to grasp the sport like spirit his mind and heart are made made of. How fluent and visual the details which are provided on this press conference are that you cannot mistake his strong character and clear mind which make possible his sport to unleash unexpected beauty and elegance and trigger in ourselves this much admiration. Here in this press conference, another tennis game is being played which he naturally wins: the game of the vanity. No one is able to make him look vain. He loves this sport but also he loves life, time to have for himself and is ready to cut short some tournaments away on the ground that there is much more to life than tennis which cannot be ignored. He is able to prioritize this so, that for a moment, tennis doesn't look to be the most important thing to pursue through life. Yet, he is this great at playing the sport that it makes it look to be the most important thing in his life. Happiness to be able to live. Health to be able to be happy. If tennis prevents either of them, why not set a distance between the following tournament to play and the the upcoming one, including himself keep away from this or that tournament. There you have it , a perfect Ace. All his enemies must fall short of words against Rafa Nadal, when they hear him thinking this way while some, certainly, grow in admiration for his spirit. Chapeau!

[@luka6888]

What happened? Where is Rafa's destruction? LOL... Novak was in lost of 2 sets in tournament, Nadal none...so he said "I need to finish the tournament with less lost sets than Rafa, lets make it a challenge"which he did

[@MacAudio74]

This is my CHAMPION. I have so much respect for this man. A true gentleman and utmost respect for his competitors. I lesson to be learnt here.

[@brodssn]

Novak played a great match and deserved the title. That said can we all agree Nadal did not play a good match or even decent by his own standards? The McEnroe’s both were commenting throughout the match that yeah Novak is playing at an elite level but Rafa is playing nervous and is missing easy forehands that we haven’t seen him miss in a long time let alone a final. This was the worst level I’ve seen Rafa play against roger or Novak in recent memory.

[@FlabbyTitmuss]

Yeah, totally agree. It's too simplistic to say Djokovic was totally amazing and there was nothing Nadal could do. Sure Novak was superb but Nadal was way off...sloppy almost. There's an obvious psychological issue for Rafa here.

[@trebronlibrand]

It is because by the time Novak steps on the court, Nadal's confidence faded away...

[@GenF91]

Yeah I thought after the first set he’d shake off those nerves and play his game, but nope. They lingered.

[@brodssn]

It was bad. If you compare the level he played at in NY and up through these two weeks to today, it’s abysmal. Missing forehands that are lined up (he doesn’t have to run to). Reverting a bit to his old service motion and playing through nerves the entire match. You know it’s bad when both McEnroe’s are calling it the same way throughout in regards to the easy misses and the obvious nerves. I agree it seems like on a hard court his confidence is shaken against Novak. On clay or grass I don’t see these types of nerves. Only on a hard court. We’ll see how he plays in Paris.

[@taylorphoe]

@@FlabbyTitmuss listen to the press conference. he said it isnt nerves, but more that he is out of practice

[@Milaneus752]

What a gracious winner & loser. Sportsmanship and humbleness like this are an amazing example to the next gen. Two untouchable legends. Vamos Rafa, Ajmo Nole!

[@lost_valley]

yup, he looked unusually slow on court, if he can improve that then he will have a chance to beat Novak this year.

[@jeremylink3489]

Nole also spoke very graciously of nadal after his win against nishikori, there is definitely a respect between the two of them and djoko is also very honest and humble and opens up alot. I think nadal learns from that aswell. They both complement each other and have massive respect.

[@baboom007]

I wonder what is the truth behind Rafa's play. I mean, everybody can have a bad day but he really played like an amateur. He couldn't even return a lot of easy balls. And why was he playing so far back. Really strange. Novak was good no doubt but Rafa was like invisible.

[@LisLot9]

Adi Adrian: Rafa always plays from that position but usually comes forward as the play commences. He didn't do that this time and Djokovic took full advantage of it. Djokovic gave a perfect performance and I don't know if anyone could have beaten him when he plays like that. But Rafa was not himself. When he came out of the lockerroom he looked dejected as if he had already lost

[@TR-ow7dh]

Basically he ran out of gas

[@Nikica40]

It happens. Bad day, the other one playing at a very high level. Same thing happened to Novak at RG2020

[@ralphvandereb66]

true legend and gutted he didnt get his 18th, but its true nole played amazing and rafa never got out of the blocks, big shame after the run up to the finals.

[@satyu131089]

I was thinking of exactly the same thing as he said: before coming to this tournament, Djokovic had two slams in the bag whereas nadal was returning from an injury. No wonder Djoko won today.

[@mihizora5619]

Rafa and his "unbelievable" are inseparable.

[@KH-lm7ku]

Rafa needed to place those balls deep on the base-line push Djokovic out of court into defensive position. His game didn't start well from the start. Edit: I personally think he came out overly hyped but mentally wasn't in the game. (Not enough belief, more self doubt)

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

How can he not have belief against Djokovich when he almost best him at Wimbledon last year.?

[@TheDazzler420]

@@jeffreykaufmann2867 that match was 5050, Nadal was playing on his worst surface and roof closed worst possible scenario , yes he requires natural factors to play its parts he's smart in using them to win. Djokovic got an extra half day to prepare and wolla Nadal couldn't save final games.

[@jeffreykaufmann2867]

@@TheDazzler420 Nadal did very well in 2019 AO considering he hasn't played competitive tennis in 5 months.

[@KH-lm7ku]

He wasn't on his game tonight! 1 day rest against 2 day rest. Maybe all the fuel in his tank was empty. He had a great run to get to the finals since he hadn't played much leading up to this slam. Missing a returnable forehand that was returnable. He had a bad game. I'm not underestimating Djokovic he played phenomenal. But Rafa didn't play his best!

[@lynseyadams6584]

@@TheDazzler420 Did you not see the interview during this AO where Rafa said he LIKED playing under the roof? People still going on about Wimbledon and 'the roof'. Jeeze. And Rafa had an EXTRA day's rest before this final, not less.

[@Spaceresearchesbytanuja]

Words of a comeback man..... Thanks for the entertainment last two weeks...

[@onlytruth9269]

I think he lost mentally before the match start. Because he has just won one Aus Open while Djokovic has won 6 times already maybe mentally Rafa lost 20 % of the match before the match started so he lost his concentration on the first ball of the match ..

[@dannyslammy4379]

yeah .. i think you are right

[@dannyslammy4379]

and the longer break between the semi and the final didn't help him either

[@onlytruth9269]

@@dannyslammy4379 i think he is nervous playing Novak anytime anywhere..

[@shantanupethe]

May be loss of first 3 games must have destroyed his confidence.....

[@jeffing106]

Such a genuine sportsman... understands his game so well. Best wishes Rafa for French open

[@shobhonchatterjee6273]

Never been so disappointed. I think its more psychological. Novak has got into Nadal's head. Am a huge Rafa fan but it was evident today that he just can't play Novak. I feel sad but I don't see anything changing.

[@NikBL99]

True I think Nadal lost before they even started playing. He doesn't have the confidence that he can beat Novak. Nadal needs to play and think like he is the better player, which he is.

[@bubasinter485]

@@NikBL99 Rafa knows Novak better than enyone...

[@markoostojic4338]

@@NikBL99 No. He is not better player . Mutual stats tells everything.

[@NikBL99]

@@markoostojic4338 I don't think he is better overall, but right now he is. Took Novak very long to win his first GS and you have to look at all aspects not just H2H

[@shobhonchatterjee6273]

It's not a question about who is a better player. On your day you can beat anyone but the point is Rafa himself doesn't believe that he can beat Novak Which is what makes it very sad for fans like us.

[@jonathanchen1026]

I became a fan of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, in that order. Great players and champions. Now I usually root for which ever player is playing the more entertaining, fun, interesting, good tennis. I love watching the way Djokovic plays, people talk about it being boring, similar to what they said about Federer, but to me, being able to return almost every ball consistently is what makes you a great player, over just being able to hit winners or flashy shots.

[@Rocky-sn6fl]

So, until today he wasn't at his 100% even Rafa did not drop a set in previous matches at AO? Either his previous oponents were really weak or Rafa could smash all of them at his 80% with ease... But Novak.

[@mnb9162]

The tour below the age of 28 years old is one of the weakest in history. Ironic because the tour above the age of 28 is one of the greatest in history. So much depth in their age group. Not just the big 4. There's Delpo/wawrinka/cilic/berdych/tsonga etc. All of them would be multiple grand slam champions in this next era. They are so desperate for a champion that whoever gets to a Semi is suddenly tipped to be Great. (Tsitspas). Reality is they are no where near it.

[@ramzirobart1032]

@@mnb9162 i think the new generation is almost the same level as the pre-Federer era where players just focus on thier technical game and not being able to push the physical and mental side to the extreme

[@mnb9162]

@@ramzirobart1032 Pre fed? Agassi and Hewitt were two of the most mentally and best physically prepared players you will see. They didn't have the ability of these top3 guys but they were miles in front of the new generation. Safin was also miles ahead but purely on ability not mentally. Even davydenko and Ferrer were at a higher level in their early twenties than this new generation.

[@mnb9162]

@@ramzirobart1032 Ferrer in terms of physical and mental preparation was incredible. A hall of famer based on those two attributes. So you are completely off the mark there.

[@ramzirobart1032]

@@mnb9162 hewitt maybe. Not agassi. Problem with hewitt is he hits too flat (technical). But still he won 2 Slams. And hewitt is kinda included in Fed era

[@reebul8768]

Very honest and introspective. Massive respect to Rafa, still a legend and i agree with everything he said. I'm a fan of both Rafa and Djokovic, so i'm happy if either one succeeds, but it does frustrate me how often Nadal gets injured. Hopefully he finds his form again, because the gap between Djokovic and Nadal shouldn't have been that wide.

[@gkwithsagar5408]

Nadal and Federer is the reason I watch tennis.

[@bubasinter485]

Sorry...

[@gigianda587]

I love Rafa whether he wins or loses. He is a fighter! And I also love to hear him in the press conferences because he is always so objective and honest about his performance. And for this, he always comes back stronger if he is healthy enough, physically. But his mental strength is what I admire more than anything! Love you, Rafa! Congrats Novak

[@doanystuff719]

You will win. Just be positive:)

[@mhlaclase178]

NADAL beat Djokovic In Rome 2019

[@ksoh2926]

Federer has a lot to learn from Nadal (and Djokovic) about handling defeats with grace & humility.

[@lawrancerajkumar8406]

I am novak fan but in this interview you won my heart at least Novak leave one set to Nadal to win I blame Novak

[@tennisrules8011]

Vamos King! you will bounce back stronger . Never give up Rafa you are the ultimate warrior!

[@coacoa1126]

Novak is the best player of all time !!! King of tennis ..

[@gregthompson9069]

love Rafa's attitude. french open is waiting for you Rafa

[@sperrotta91]

The manner of the loss is surprising but the result itself isn't. Novak is 19-7 against Nadal on hard courts. He's quite simply the better player on the surface. The stats are overwhelmingly in his favour.

[@jeffchang93070]

I matter what the result is, you are always the best fighter, never giving up and always coming back is your attitudes to the world, and for the fan of you Rafa, I am inspired by your positive mind and spirit, Vamos Rafa, hope you making miracles in the future and having a great 2019 season.