The president of the Italian Tennis Federation has stunningly claimed that Rafael Nadal is a kinder and more polite person off the court in his experience than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Nadal's incredible on-court achievements are known worldwide. During his exceptional career, he won an unprecedented 14 French Open titles, as well as four US Opens, two Wimbledons, and two Australian Opens.
The Spaniard's final professional on-court appearance was at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Nadal did not get the dream ending many hoped for after the 38-year-old lost his final singles match against Botic van de Zandschulp and Team Spain was eliminated by the Netherlands.
During his retirement ceremony, Nadal stated he hoped to be remembered as a good person from a small village in Mallorca rather than just for his numerous trophies and achievements over the years.
Nadal is viewed as one of the best role models in any sport. Throughout his career, he never smashed a racket, something Babolat referred to in a special bag it produced for his final professional appearance.
Even Federer, known for his calm demeanor on the court, smashed a racket during his 2009 Miami Open match against Djokovic. The Serbian has smashed several rackets over the years.
How Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic act off the court is something tournament directors worldwide at the most significant events will have a unique insight into because of the work required to make events successful.
Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis Federation, made some fascinating remarks in an interview with La Nuova Sardegna about which of the three tennis legends is the nicest and most polite off the court.
Binaghi claims that Nadal has more sympathy and kindness than Federer, and more sporting and human depth than Djokovic in comments that might cause a stir among Federer and Djokovic's fans.
"Rafael Nadal is the best of all, by far, especially off the court. In 24 years I have crossed paths with him many times, between tournaments. And Nadal is really a special tennis player, a true gentleman, polite, loved by fans, someone who has given a lot to tennis and has enthralled generations."
"In my opinion even more than Federer, who in person, in my experience, does not have the same kindness and sympathy as Nadal. And I say the same about Djokovic. He is undoubtedly the strongest player in the world, but in my opinion he does not have the sporting and human depth of Nadal."
Nadal's generous nature off the court is unsurprising. He has developed a reputation for being a humble and normal person who did not let his successful career change him as a human being.
However, Bianghi's claim that Federer and Djokovic cannot match him in that regard might surprise some. Of course, it is important to emphasize that this is just Binaghi's opinion and that other tournament directors could have a different view.
Djokovic's online fanbase is particularly passionate, as Thanasi Kokkinakis recently noted. After Binaghi's words, the 24-time Grand Slam champion will likely receive a strong defense from them on social media.