Pep Guardiola hails tennis icons Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as 'lions, legends'
Published 19/10/2024 at 11:03 GMT+1
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke of his admiration for Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The manager lauded tennis' 'Big Three' ahead of City's Sunday encounter against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Guardiola also spoke about his friendship with golfer, Tommy Fleetwood, stressing that golf is the toughest sport 'in relation to mental strength'.
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke of his admiration for tennis icons Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Ahead of City’s Premier League encounter at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, Guardiola revealed which athletes inspire him beyond the world of football.
In particular, Guardiola lauded the consistency of tennis greats Djokovic, Federer And Nadal, who have collectively won 66 Grand Slams and dominated tennis across two decades.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Guardiola said: “The one detail that defines them is how hard they work.
“People believe that when you are on top of any sport it’s because of the talent, the skills. But what defines [those at the top] is that they work harder than everyone else. They prepare better than everyone else.
“They are never satisfied in how they accept the bad moments, the defeats, which are normal in life and in sport. During the games when they are nervous or playing badly, they come back immediately.
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Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.
Image credit: Getty Images
“I think they come back because they work harder, they accept that the situation is going wrong in certain moments, but they know they work harder than the others. Mentally they are incredibly positive.”
When asked if he saw similarities between himself and tennis' ‘Big Three’, Guardiola said: “I absolutely cannot compare myself with those three. Lions. Legends. I have heart but I don’t take a racket and hit the ball. Sitting on the bench is much, much easier.
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“It’s like being a golf player’s caddie. ‘250 yards, take a three iron’. But I don’t do anything else. The managers get a lot of credit because they talk a lot. That makes people believe we have the secret of everything, but that belongs to the athlete, to the tennis players, to the golf players, to the football players, to the basketball players. The game’s belong to them.”
When asked about his friendship with golfer, Tommy Fleetwood, Guardiola added: “I think the mental strength of golf players is the toughest. It’s the toughest sport in relation to mental strength.”
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