Rafael Nadal's stunning swipe after Novak Djokovic outbursts in Tokyo

During his preparations for his first appearance at the Citi Open, Rafael Nadal has been paying close attention to the Olympics, as well as Novak Djokovic's outbursts in Tokyo. 

During his bronze-medal match against Pablo Carreno-Busta, Djokovic was chastised for a handful of volcano moments, including throwing his racket into the stands to vent his emotions. See video here.

After losing against Alexander Zverev, the World No. 1 was visibly disappointed at his level after missing out on the chance to become the first man in history to win a 'Golden Slam.'

Also Read: Tokyo Olympics 2020: Boxer Lovlina Borgohain in semifinals; Father offers prayer for her win

Djokovic was chastised for his outbursts and his injury-related withdrawal from the mixed doubles bronze medal playoff.

And now Nadal has added his twist to the drama.

Nadal wasn't in Tokyo because he needed time to recover following his clay-court season, but he watched the events unfold from afar.

"Fortunately, there were no spectators in the stands, and nothing worse happened," Nadal remarked at a press conference.

"You must try to stay away from them. The picture isn't fantastic. It's critical to prevent situations like these, especially if you're a reference for a lot of young people."

Because Djokovic is the World No. 1, Nadal finds the behaviour "odd," but put it down to the Serbian's competitiveness.

"At the end of the day, he's the best player in the world and one of the greatest in history," Nadal concluded.

"It's strange that someone so successful behaves in this way now and then, but in the end, he's a competitive person who reacts in this way."

Nadal is hoping to get his hardcourt season off to a solid start in order to be ready for the US Open and prevent Djokovic from completing a Grand Slam clean sweep in 2021.

Also Read: Tokyo Olympics 2020: India eying another MEDAL; Ravi Dahiya, Deepak Poonia reached Semi-Finals

Djokovic vows to bounce back after Olympics

Djokovic acknowledged he needed time to recover after playing a lot of tennis in Tokyo, but he promised to come back stronger.

"I'm confident that I'll bounce back." "I'll attempt to keep going for the Olympic Games in Paris and battle for medals for my nation," Djokovic added.

"I apologise for disappointing many sports lovers in my nation.

"But, hey, it's sport, so I gave it my all, or as much as I had left in the tank, which wasn't much. I dumped it on the court.”Nadal said.