Andrey Rublev counting on more matches between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to ‘bring more fans’ for the Spaniard’s potential farewell season

Rafael Nadal is returning to action after almost a year.

Andrey Rublev counting on more matches between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to ‘bring more fans’ for the Spaniard’s potential farewell season

L-R: Andrey Rublev, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal (Images via Tennismajors, Reuters)

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal is all set to make a comeback on the tour. The 37-year-old will be starting his campaign with the Brisbane International.

As Nadal is returning after a long time (almost a year), there is too much anticipation about how will the Spanish ace fare. The 22-time Grand Slam winner’s rivalry with Novak Djokovic also excites many and Andrey Rublev is also eagerly waiting for the faceoff. 

The Russian tennis star, while talking about the personal benefits of not having to play Nadal on the tour, said that the rivalry between the two greats will be revived and thus will be a great experience for the fans. Rublev joked that not having to face Nadal allows him to play with more freedom.

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The Russian ace then talked about Nadal’s comeback and claimed that it would be great for tennis. Rublev said that Nadal’s return to tennis will bring a lot of spectators and the Spaniard’s rivalry with Djokovic will also draw significant attention. 

I'm happy for him that finally he's back. But obviously, as a competitor, I felt more freedom when he was not there. For tennis, it's great that he's back. He will bring back a lot of spectators, and a lot of followers, especially, again back for the tie between him & Novak (Djokovic) will bring a lot of attention again to tennis. So, it's amazing that he's back.
Andrey Rublev said to UTS London.

Novak Djokovic also eagerly waiting for Rafael Nadal’s comeback

While tennis fans are already excited about the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the Serbian ace is also eagerly waiting for his Spanish counterpart to make a return to the tour so that they can enjoy their age-old rivalry. The 24-time Grand Slam winner mentioned it in one of his latest interviews.

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Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (Image via Tennis.com)

Talking about Nadal’s comeback, Djokovic hoped that the 37-year-old would manage to play the whole season as it would be great for the sport. The Serbian also claimed that Nadal will be eager to win more Grand Slam titles and hence it will be fun for him. Djokovic said that Nadal will always be his main rival. 

Rafa is always my main rival. It doesn't matter how long you're off the slopes. I hope, for the sake of the tennis world, that he can play as much as possible, the entire season. I can't imagine Nadal thinking anything other than winning the biggest tournaments. He is going to return with the desire to win more Grand Slams and be among the best in the world. We'll see what happens.
Novak Djokovic said to Diario AS.

Notably, Djokovic was trailing by one title in terms of most Grand Slam titles at the start of the 2023 season. However, the 36-year-old won three of the four Grand Slam titles to take a lead over the Spaniard. Now that Nadal will be back, he will look to leave Djokovic behind. Whoever ends the season on top, tennis fans will get to see enough thrilling games.

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