Rafael Nadal has given a clear answer after Novak Djokovic said his warm-up used to be intimidating.
Nadal's uncertainty about whether he needs to retire is over for now, with the 22-time Grand Slam winner returning to professional tennis in Brisbane. He played a doubles match and is set to face Dominic Thiem in his singles return.
The legendary Spaniard's return to the game means the media can ask him about a wide range of topics. It is not surprising that one of the people that will come up regularly is fellow tennis legend, Djokovic.
Some believe that Nadal and Djokovic share the greatest rivalry in the sport's history. They have played an extraordinary 59 times, with the Serbian edging the head-to-head 30-29. There have been countless classic matches between the two.
The long history between the two meant headlines were created when Djokovic stated in a 60 minutes interview that he was intimidated by Nadal's warm-up routine at the French Open when they played there for the first time.
This was incredible honesty from Djokovic. It shows how much he then developed mentally from a young player who felt intimidated into being one of the mentally toughest sportspeople of all time.
Nadal has responded to Djokovic's words and is clear that no intimidation was meant whatsoever on his part during his warm-up routine.
"It was never, never, never my intention to intimidate. I warm up like that, trying to be prepared and ready to go, and I work out, nothing more. I haven't heard what he said, honestly."
Djokovic, who recently achieved another historic milestone, never said that Nadal was trying to be intimidating, only confirming that he himself was intimidated.
However, we now have confirmation that the 14-time French Open champion has never set out to intimidate opponents. It is another fascinating insight into the respective mindsets of these two great rivals and champions.
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