"That's character, I can lose every match... later you be here, that's part of work" - When Rafael Nadal took a dig at Djokovic's '3-minute' presser

Rafael Nadal once seemingly took a subtle dig at Novak Djokovic's character over his tendency to end his press conferences early after suffering losses.

Nadal and Djokovic competed at the inaugural Shanghai Masters in 2009 as the first and second seeds, respectively. While both players reached the semifinals, Nikolay Davydenko defeated the Serb 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(1) to book his place in the final. Meanwhile, the Spaniard advanced to the title clash after Feliciano Lopez retired from their semifinal match. Davydenko then claimed a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Nadal to clinch the Masters 1000 title.

During his post-match press conference, Rafael Nadal was informed about Novak Djokovic attending his press conference for just 'three minutes' and giving only one-sentence answers. In contrast, the Spaniard was lauded for his grace in handling losses and openness with the media.

Nadal attributed his composure to the realization that he could win or lose on any given day, which made it easier for him to accept defeats.

"Well, every lose is different, and every moment is completely different. So the important thing is, in my opinion, is when you go on court, you have to know you can win and you can lose. So if you know that before the match, is easier to accept that after both things, no?" he said.

He also emphasized the importance of accepting losses with the same grace as wins but acknowledged that different people have different ways of coping with defeats.

"The thing is you must accept the victories with the same calm than the losers. So if you win, you win, you are more happy, you feel you are the best of the world. You think something like this is where this is gonna be more difficult to be there and still winning more time," he said.

"And if you lose, anyway, you can be angry or doesn't matter, but everyone has different character, and that's part of the character. So for me today is a lose but is a positive lose. Sometimes I have a negative lose. I never was very angry, no?" he added.

The Spaniard then seemingly took a jab at Novak Djokovic's conduct, asserting that attending and communicating during press conferences was an integral part of the job.

"But, no, that's character, and I know I can lose every match and I can win every match. Later you be here, and that's part of the work, and happy to be here and happy to be in the tour, to be playing, you know, another time with no problems. Just thinking about tennis, so that's very good news for me. I expect to be here for a long time I play without problems for a few more years," he said.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced each other seven times in 2009

ATP Masters Series - Rome: Day Seven

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced each other seven times in 2009. The Spaniard triumphed in their first four meetings of the season, while Djokovic emerged victorious in the last three.

Nadal triumphed in their first encounter in the first round of the Davis Cup, defeating the Serb 6-4, 6-4, 6-1. He then claimed a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 win over Djokovic in the Monte-Carlo Masters final and beat him 7-6(2), 6-2 in the Italian Open final. Subsequently, he secured a hard-fought 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9) victory in the Madrid Open semifinal.

Djokovic emerged victorious in their fifth meeting, beating the Spaniard 6-1, 6-4 in the Cincinnati Masters semifinal. The Serb also claimed a 6-2, 6-3 win over Nadal in the Paris Masters semifinal and beat him 7-6(5), 6-3 in the group stage of the ATP Finals.