Rafael Nadal Warns Novak Djokovic He Doesn’t Have ‘Many Chances’ to Win 25th Major After Australian Open Defeat

Rafael Nadal watched Carlos Alcaraz secure a four-set win over Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final.

Rafael Nadal Warns Novak Djokovic He Doesn’t Have ‘Many Chances’ to Win 25th Major After Australian Open Defeat

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Olly_Tennis, Wolfy)

Rafael Nadal was in the stands of the Rod Laver Arena for the men’s 2026 Australian Open final and watched Carlos Alcaraz come from a set down to beat Novak Djokovic and become the youngest man in the Open Era to win seven Grand Slam titles. While Alcaraz reached the Australian Open for the first time in his career, Djokovic made a Major final for the first time since the 2024 Wimbledon.

The 38-year-old clinched a shock win over two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in the final but wasn’t able to repeat the 2024 Paris Olympics result. Nadal is convinced that Djokovic, at this stage of his career, doesn’t have many opportunities to win another Major. Speaking at a charity golf tournament, Nadal said:

I don’t think we need to analyze tennis based on who wins. He had an opportunity in Melbourne, and at this stage of his career, to be honest, he doesn’t have that many left, and I think what he’s achieving is admirable.

Djokovic, even though he wants to play the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, also understands that continuing to prolong his career will be quite difficult. And this is why he expressed uncertainty about his future, saying at the press conference that he may not return to Melbourne as a player.

Had Djokovic won, he would have broken the tie with Margaret Court. Last year, Djokovic played the semifinals of every Major. Alcaraz’s victory has made him the youngest man in the Open Era to win all four Grand Slam titles.

Luciano Narderi calls Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner the Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer of this generation

Luciano Darderi has met both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner once in his career. He lost to the four-time Major champion in the fourth round of this year’s Australian Open and to the World No.1 in the third round of last year’s US Open.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Jannik Sinner HQ)

Darderi is in Buenos Aires for the ATP 250 Argentina Open, where he is the second seed and is set to square off against Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera. In the pre-tournament press conference, the 23-year-old said he can compete against anyone on the tour, but Sinner and Alcaraz are “out of the league“, calling them the Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of the current era.

Alcaraz and Sinner are exceptional; they can’t be compared to anyone else. At the US Open, I lost to Alcaraz, and in Australia, I lost to Sinner. I think these two players are the Federer and Nadal of their era; they very rarely lose a match. Personally, the times I’ve trained with them, I’ve felt I’ve improved a lot because they play at a different pace and train differently. I always try to arrange training sessions with them: if I could train with them every week, I would.

Darderi is also playing doubles alongside Tomas Martin Etcheverry in Buenos Aires. They will lock horns with the fellow unseeded pair of Damir Dzumhur and Tomislav Brkic.

He has so far featured in four singles finals, winning all. Last year, he lifted titles at the Grand Prix Hassan II, Swedish Open, and the Croatia Open, defeating Tallon Griekspoor, Jesper de Jong, and Carlos Taberner, respectively.

At the Australian Open, another title would have made Sinner the second man in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles. Sinner and Alcaraz will be returning to the tour at the Qatar Open. The World No.2 skipped the ATP 500 Doha event last year because of the three-month doping ban. Alcaraz lost to Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals.

Also read: Coco Gauff Frustated Being Unable to Translate Practice Sessions into Tennis Matches After Doha Exit