Nadal takes veiled swipe at Djokovic
Rafael Nadal has taken an apparent swipe at Novak Djokovic over his requests for quarantined players finding your way through the Australian Open, saying not everyone felt the necessity to "advertise" how they were trying to help.
The Serbian world number one issued a set of ideas to Tennis Australia the other day with respect to 72 players struggling to keep their Melbourne resort rooms after Covid-19 cases were detected on the planes to Australia.
They reportedly included moving players into private homes with tennis courts and getting them better meals.
But his requests fell on deaf ears, while Australian media portrayed players as petulant and selfish and fellow star Nick Kyrgios named Djokovic a "tool".
Djokovic later issued an open letter to state his "very good intentions for my fellow competitors in Melbourne have already been misconstrued".
"We all make an effort to help one another," Spanish great Nadal told ESPN Tuesday from Adelaide, where he and Djokovic will be quarantining ahead of the year's opening Grand Slam in Melbourne on February 8.
"Some have to make open public everything they carry out to greatly help others," he added, in remarks widely viewed as referring to Djokovic. "Others... carry out it in a far more private way and never have to publish or advertise everything we're doing."
Some players are undergoing a mandatory 2 weeks of quarantine in Melbourne, Nadal, Djokovic and other superstars of the overall game including Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka jetted into Adelaide, where they are due to perform an exhibition on Friday.
It sparked mutterings about preferential treatment, and Nadal admitted it turned out smoother sailing.
"In Adelaide, circumstances have been much better than most players in Melbourne," he said.
"But there happen to be players in Melbourne who've larger rooms where they can develop physical activities, others have smaller rooms and can't have contact with their coach and their physical trainer.
"Where's the line? It's an ethical issue. Everyone has their individual opinion and they are all respectable."
