Rafael Nadal’s confession about Novak Djokovic: “We must not kid ourselves …”

Published on 12/2/2021 8:48 PM
Reading time: 2 min

Lhe tennis ‘Big Three’ dominated the ATP Tour at the start of the 21st century, with twenty major titles for each of them. Djokovic joined his elders this year by winning three of the four 2021 titles.

Djokovic, who finished the world No. 1 for the seventh time, a record, could have been the only record holder if Russia’s Daniil Medvedev had not dominated him in the US Open final.

Nadal, on the other hand, has missed much of the season with a foot injury, while Federer has also been sidelined for a long time after having to undergo a third knee surgery in the space of eighteen. month.

Nadal could return for the Australian Open in January, an event that the world number 1 could miss due to a compulsory vaccination certificate against the coronavirus.

The thirteen-time winner of Roland Garros still believes that Djokovic will hold the record for major titles when the trio retire. “Djokovic is in the best position to be the player with the most grand slams,” Nadal told Movistar. “Make no mistake, Federer is where he is and I am where I am. On the other hand, Djokovic is playing well and is in a good period. This is the reality, and it cannot be ignored. We don’t know what will happen in nine months, but he is the favorite at the moment. “

Nadal triumphed at Roland Garros in 2020 but has only appeared in two majors since, while Federer – who hopes to return in mid-2022 – won his last Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2018.

Nadal is happy that players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Medvedev, who lost just one set in the entire US Open to prevent Djokovic from having the perfect year, are taking over. “They’re not the Next Gen anymore,” Nadal said of tennis’s new “Big Three”. “Players like Medvedev, Zverev or Tsitsipas have already passed this stage of the Next Gen, they are the current generation, the present. “

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