Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni accepts Novak Djokovic as the ‘best in history’ as the Serb wins historic Olympic Gold

Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic is already planning for the remainder of the season after claiming the Olympic Gold.

Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni accepts Novak Djokovic as the ‘best in history’ as the Serb wins historic Olympic Gold

Novak Djokovic and Toni Nadal (via Imago)

Rafael Nadal‘s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, has acknowledged that Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player in history after the Serb’s historic gold medal win on Sunday (August 4). Djokovic won in two tiebreak sets against Carlos Alcaraz to claim the only accolade that had eluded him in his career.

Toni, who currently coaches Felix Auger-Aliassime, had many battles against Djokovic while coaching Rafa. He was the most successful coach in tennis history with the left-hander until Marian Vajda won the 17th Grand Slam as Djokovic’s coach in 2020.

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His [Carlos Alcaraz] silver medal against the best tennis player in history deserves, without a doubt, all our admiration.
Toni Nadal said in his column for El Pais

Most of Djokovic’s career has revolved around his rivalries with Rafa and Roger Federer. However, he boasts a positive head-to-head record against both tennis legends. The Serb has a 31-29 lead against Rafa and a 27-23 lead against Federer.

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Moreover, Djokovic has every trophy in his collection, which isn’t the case for Nadal and Federer. The Spaniard has missed out on the ATP World Tour Finals and three Masters 1000 events in his career (Miami, Shanghai, and Bercy). The Swiss player was unable to win the Olympic singles gold medal and two Masters 1000 events (Monte Carlo and Rome).

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Novak Djokovic confirms participation in Shanghai Masters

World No.2 Novak Djokovic will return to the Shanghai Masters after five years. His plans for 2024 are starting to take shape after his Olympic win in Paris. The Serbian won his first title in 2024 at the Olympic Games, where he achieved his dream of winning the elusive Gold medal.

Novak Djokovic (3)
Novak Djokovic (via Imago)
Hello! I can’t wait to be back to play in the Rolex Shanghai Masters. You are so great China, I love you – thank you!
Novak Djokovic in a small statement on social media

At 37, Djokovic is playing fewer tournaments. He confirmed his return to China for the Shanghai Masters in late September. This is a change from last year when he took a break after winning the US Open and only played again at the end of the year, winning the Paris Masters and ATP Finals.

Djokovic last played in Shanghai in 2019, losing in the quarter-finals to Stefanos Tsitsipas. The tournament was canceled from 2020 to 2022 due to COVID-19, and he skipped it in 2023 after his 24th Grand Slam win at the US Open. Djokovic is the most successful player in Shanghai Masters history. He has won the title four times since the tournament began in 2009.

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