Rafael Nadal ‘will be dangerous at Roland Garros’ claims Djokovic’s coach
Rafael Nadal has been out of action for most of 2023, but Novak Djokovic’s coach says the Spaniard is still ‘dangerous’ for his planned return next year I believe that.
>Nadal has been out of action since January, when he lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the Australian Open, due to a torn psoas muscle.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has since fallen out of the world’s top 200 and was forced to miss Roland Garros for the first time since 2004.
As a result, he has been overtaken at the top of the men’s Grand Slam chart by Djokovic, who won this year’s Australian Open, Roland Garros, and US Open.
However, Nadal recently released footage of his plans to return to the ATP Tour after undergoing arthroscopic surgery in July.
Rafael Nadal is back at practice
I repeat:
RAFAEL NADAL IS BACK AT PRACTICE!
(🎥 @RafaelNadal) pic.twitter.com/X3OWVPHRrf
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) October 4, 2023
And his biggest rivals coach, Goran Ivanisevic, has had his say on Nadal’s prospects for a self-proclaimed potential final year on tour, “It’s the best news for world tennis right now if he comes back. That’s all well and good, but we still have to wait for Nadal to say it. Only then can we be sure of a return and, at least for another year, the continuation of the great rivalry with Novak.”
The 2001 Wimbledon champion continued, “I’m convinced Nadal will be fine, he wouldn’t come back if he didn’t feel ready, and I’m convinced he’ll be dangerous at Roland-Garros.
“In fact, he’ll be the most dangerous because nobody has been as dominant as him at Roland-Garros, and it’s possible that in the year of the Olympics, he’ll be aiming for the double crown in Paris.”
Although Nadal has recently had to deny Australian Open tournament director’s Craig Tiley confirmation that he will be in Melbourne next year, the two-time champion has admitted that his aim is to be back for the first major of 2024.
Inside the baseline…
No-one, including Nadal, can know how things are going to play out for the Mallorcan next year. However, what can be said is that if Nadal is fit, he will always be a threat at Roland Garros and potentially even the favourite. As Djokovic’s coach, Ivanisevic will be fully aware of this and would not be naive enough to rule his player’s ‘biggest rival’ out.
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Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic
The age old debate in men’s tennis has been about who is the GOAT, and we at Tennishead wanted to compare the numbers between Nadal and Djokovic:
Rafael Nadal
Career-high: No.1 (209 weeks)
ATP titles: 92
Grand Slam titles: 22
ATP Masters 1000 titles: 36
Olympic medals: 2 (Singles Gold – 2008, Doubles Gold – 2016)
ATP Finals titles: 0 (Best result: Final – 2010 & 2013)
Davis Cup titles: 5 (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 & 2019)
Novak Djokovic
Career-high: No.1 (396 weeks*)
ATP titles: 96
Grand Slam titles: 24
ATP Masters 1000 titles: 39
Olympic medals: 1 (Singles Bronze – 2008)
ATP Final Title: 6 (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022)
Davis Cup titles: 1 (2010)
*Currently the ATP No.1
Head-to-head
Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: 29-30
Last match: Nadal beats Djokovic 6:2, 4:6, 6:2, 7:6(4) (Roland Garros 2022 quarterfinals)
