VIDEO: Rafael Nadal’s Savage Gesture to Rival Novak Djokovic During a Doubles Event in Australia

Over the years, we have seen many intense rivalries in tennis. From Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert to Serena Williams vs Venus Williams, these rivalries have made the sport more enticing to watch. Amongst them was the rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.

The two have faced off against each other on an astonishing 59 occasions. Despite this, there is hardly anything to separate between the two. While Djokovic prevailed in 30 of those matches, Nadal has won 29. Recently, a hilarious video surfaced on social media involving the two.

The hilarious reply of Rafael Nadal

In 2020, before the Australian Open, several players joined hands to raise relief funds for the people affected by bushfires in the country. The likes of Naomi Osaka, Djokovic, and Nadal participated in an exhibition tennis event called ‘Rally for Relief’. The players were split into two teams, named Team Serena Williams and Team Caroline Wozniacki.

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The incident occurred when Djokovic and Nadal teamed up to play doubles. Before his serve, Djokovic looked up to Nadal asking him where to serve. Hilariously, Nadal gave the finger to the Serb, which made everyone in the stadium burst into laughter. Subsequently, Djokovic said, “Yeah guys, please camera, can you show Rafa’s finger where he told me I should go?”

Team Williams, comprising Dominic Thiem, Petra Kvitova, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal, eventually won the event. Many players, including Serena Williams and Petra Kvitova, also pledged money for bushfire relief with every ace that they hit in Australia.

Former World Number 1 on Nadal’s injury

The Spaniard had to withdraw from the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships owing to an abdominal injury. Talking about Nadal’s injury setback, Tracy Austin said, “Many times an injury feels better than you thought it would. You get to continue. Can you imagine Rafa pulling out mid match, then felt good enough to play, half way to calendar grand slam? No!”

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Nadal will hope to regain fitness in time for the US Open, which is set to start next month.