Nadal to Tom Brady: "In 2011, I lost too many times against Djokovic"
In Monte-Carlo, Rafael Nadal dropped the mask. Speaking with Tom Brady, the king of Roland-Garros opened up about the series of defeats that marked his career.
The setting: the Monte-Carlo Golf Club, where two sporting legends exchanged not tennis balls or footballs, but golf shots. Rafael Nadal, 22 Grand Slam titles, facing Tom Brady, seven-time Super Bowl champion.
Midway around a green, the conversation deepened. Brady asked Nadal what it was like to constantly face the same rivals, Federer and Djokovic. The Majorcan's response was as follows:
"Regarding Novak, the match is more balanced, more predictable... but you have to play perfectly. To beat him, you have to achieve a feat. One year, I lost too many times against him. In 2011, I lost the finals of Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Wimbledon, and the US Open. And the following year, again at the Australian Open.
At that moment, you have to go back and understand why you aren't winning. Being alone with yourself, with no one to save you, that is also the beauty of our sport. You have to accept the frustration, understand when someone is doing better than you."
