"Heard the same garbage for the last 10 years" - Furious tennis fans react to Barbara Schett's comments on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic 

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are clear favorites in the 'GOAT race' in men's tennis as they have both moved ahead of Roger Federer on the list of most Grand Slams won and have more years of tennis ahead of them compared to the Swiss Maestro. Nadal currently leads the pack with 22 Grand Slams to Djokovic's 21, but former player Barbara Schett believes the Serb still holds an edge.

As per the former Austrian player, Djokovic has at least 2-3 years of professional tennis left in him, while the Mallorcan might quit anytime soon. Schett's comments did not sit well with a large section of the tennis fan community, which believes that the Spaniard has been counted out many times over the years but is still going strong.

Schett, who is a tennis expert for Eurosport, recently opened up on the GOAT debate and favored Djokovic's chances.

"If you look at Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic now, I would say Novak can still play for another two, three years, or maybe even longer. And Rafa Nadal, I think the clock is definitely ticking there," Barbara Schett expressed as per Eurosport.

Schett noted that Djokovic, who is just one short of Nadal's all-time record of 22 Grand Slams, does not suffer from many injuries and will give it his all to break the record.

Meanwhile, tennis fans reacted to the same and in turn noted that the Spaniard has overcome numerous injury obstacles and experts who have doubted him over many years.

"I feel like I've read some version of this quote about Nadal for the past 10 years," read a post on Twitter.

Another fan expressed that the Spanish tennis great is certainly the favorite in the GOAT race and could complicate the situation a lot more for Djokovic by winning the 2022 US Open.

"As a Djokovic fan that won’t be the case though if Rafa wins slam 23 in New York. I hope Djoko gets most but for now Rafa is the favourite in the race," read another tweet.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Schett's comments on the GOAT debate:

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"You lose, you move forward, I know the way" - Rafael Nadal reacts to his early exit at 2022 Cincinnati Open

Rafael Nadal's US Open preparations hit a hurdle as the World No. 3 lost in his first match since Wimbledon and only match before the New York Major. The Spaniard, who has recently recovered from an abdominal tear, made an early at the Cincinnati Open, losing to Borna Coric in his opening match.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion took the loss on the chin and vowed to work hard in the last 10 days leading up to the US Open. The 36-year-old also admitted that he is still not entirely over the abdominal injury he suffered at Wimbledon.

"You lose. You move forward. I know the way," Nadal said in a press conference after losing to Coric. "The main thing for me is to stay healthy. Has been a difficult injury to manage, to be honest. The last month and a half haven't been easy, because having a tear on the abdominal, you don't know when is 100% over the thing."

"Difficult to take a lot of positive things, but, I mean, I need to improve. I need to practice. I need to return better. I need days, and that's the true, no?" he added.

The Spaniard has won the US Open four times, with his last title coming in his latest appearance at the Grand Slam event, back in 2019. He missed the 2020 US Open as he chose to focus on the 2020 French Open, which began just two days after the conclusion of the US Open. He missed the 2021 US Open due to a long-standing foot injury.