I think there is a pretty reasonable way to see that there is. Never did I say that Nick did go in with the intention of winning. But if you can't see a difference between Nick and tough draw he had, never having beaten JO or Yianni, etc. and Yianni who has spent the past 2 years focused on this one singular goal and Zain, both of whom have been on the cusp of International success, then you're intentionally falling into fandom bias or just being obtuse. I'm not talking a major difference here. It's subtle, but it's real. And keep in mind that this is coming from one of if not the biggest Nick Lee fan on this board, having seen many of his matches and following him all the way back to 8th grade.
If you see this as a slight to Nick, you just aren't getting it and there is no reason to continuing this convo.