Let’s make this perfectly clear from the very start: we bloody well love Rafael Nadal.
Undoubtedly one of the finest tennis players of his generation, we’ve nothing but admiration for the man. Be it his ruthless competitiveness, his disproportionately big left arm or the fact that he’s a an absolute shining example when it comes to graciousness in defeat, he’s a complete legend in our eyes.
However, while he might have earned a stunning ovation from the Wimbledon crowd as he bowed out after a marathon final set to Gilles Müller on Monday, it’s hard to excuse what follows…
During a break between games, Nadal was seen taking the lid off what appeared to be a sachet of energy gel. While doing so, cameras captured him summoning a nearby ballboy. Nadal then passes the lid to the ballboy, who moves all of two steps to the side to put it in a nearby bin.
Many watching the footage were quick to describe the two-time Wimbledon champion as ‘lazy’, pointing out that Nadal wouldn’t have had to even leave his seat to put the lid in the bin himself.
What a lazy lad! Big fan Rafa, but you can't reach for the bin which is just 2 inches away from you? #Wimbledon17 #Nadal #muller pic.twitter.com/JOmcASEIBF
— Niks (@coolchaps4u) July 10, 2017
We can appreciate that during such a lengthy final set, Rafa probably had his mind on conserving energy… but this takes the piss a little bit.
