"Imagining the fan wars between Andrey and Daniil" - Tennis fans react to Andrey Rublev calling Rafael Nadal the best athlete of all time

It's no secret that Andrey Rublev is a big admirer of Rafael Nadal, and the young Russian player has time and again spoken about his respect for the Spaniard's abilities on the tennis court. In his latest assessment of Nadal's legacy in the sport, Rublev regarded the 22-time Grand Slam champion as 'the greatest athlete ever in all disciplines,' much to the delight of many tennis fans.

In a YouTube video recently filmed at an academy in Barcelona, Rublev expressed his views on all things tennis, lavishing praise on Nadal in the process.

"The best athlete of all time in all disciplines," said Rublev when asked about the Spaniard.

Tennis fans on social media reacted to Rublev's words for the legendary Spaniard. One fan even joked that it may lead to a 'fan war' between himself and fellow Russian player Daniil Medvedev.

"Imagining the fanwars between Andrey and Daniil," said a comment on Twitter.

Nadal has been called 'the comeback king' by many fans in the sport for his ability to find a way to win from seemingly impossible situations in matches time and again, particularly at the Grand Slams. Earlier this year, the Spaniard produced one such comeback from 2-6, 6-7(5), 2-3, 0-40 down against Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Australian Open final to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title.

During an interview a few months ago, Rublev reflected on the Australian Open final between his compatriot Medvedev and the Spanish great. The 24-year-old said he had "never seen something like this in my life," referring to the Spaniard's comeback.

The crowd inside Rod Laver Arena for the Australian Open final extended great support to the then 20-time Grand Slam champion during the match. It was apparent that the crowd support was clearly in favor of the Spaniard, something Rublev felt was 'obvious' given Nadal's legacy in the sport.

"Obviously, people were supporting Rafa more because he is Rafa - one of the greatest in the history of sport. He was playing for his 21st Grand Slam that’s why people were supporting him more," Rublev said on the same.

"No one athlete in the history of sport is as mentally strong as Rafa" - Andrey Rublev on Rafael Nadal

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Speaking during his earlier interview, Andrey Rublev dug deeper into Rafael Nadal's mindset during matches, explaining how the Spaniard is able to overcome the mental challenges that are part of an individual sport like tennis. He believes that no matter what happens off the court, the 36-year-old is always focused when on the court.

"No one athlete in the history of sport is as mentally strong as Rafa. In an individual sport you can struggle a lot mentally. If you fight with someone close on the morning of the match, you are disturbed, but you still need to play. In a team sport, if you are not in a good mood, but your team is good and in the right mood, you don’t feel it," he said.

"Rafa is the only one who manages it, doesn’t matter what happens outside the court. Somehow, he’s able to completely turn it off and just be in the moment," Rublev added.

In three matches against the Spaniard so far, Rublev has registered one win. After losing their first two career head-to-head battles, the Russian beat the Spanish great 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters. It remains one of his most impressive victories, given Nadal's superiority on clay courts and his record in Monte-Carlo, where he has won the title a record 11 times.