Boris Becker ‘ready to bet’ on Rafael Nadal at Australian Open
Rafael Nadal may be struggling with form and fitness coming into the 2023 Australian Open, but tennis legend Boris Becker still thinks that he is one of the favorites to win the Grand Slam.
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Boris Becker and Rafael Nadal
German tennis legend Boris Becker is back in business! He has been invited by European sports broadcaster EuroSport to give his expert opinions at the Australian Open 2023. And in a recent interview with the same channel, he revealed his favorites to win the first Grand Slam of the year.
He thinks that Novak Djokovic has become a favorite after his re-entry into the 2023 edition. However, he also believes that he is not an outright favorite. He thinks Rafael Nadal will be his biggest competitor in this tournament and has the potential to stop him. Nadal is top seed.
The Spaniard is struggling with both form and fitness coming into the Grand Slam Down Under. He lost his two singles matches against Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur at the United Cup 2023, starting the season on a terrible note. However, Boris Becker would not discount him at Melbourne Park.
“As long as this guy is around, I would never bet against him. Let’s remember last year: he actually had no chance, arrived in Australia and played a Challenger competition to prepare. Nobody took that seriously, many even smiled. Two weeks later, Nadal won the Australian Open,” he said.
“I am a big Nadal fan. He is an absolute role model for young players and exemplifies what can be achieved with attitude, discipline and pure will. In my ranking of the favourites for Melbourne, he comes in second,” he continued.
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Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal final at Australian Open 2023
The draw for the 2023 Australian Open is out. The draws are made carefully in such a way that the top two seeds — Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic — will not run into each other before the final. The Spaniard will start his journey against Jack Draper. And the Serb will start against Roberto Carballés Baena.
Meanwhile, Boris Becker is also very excited about this mouth-watering encounter. He thinks, compared to last time, Novak Djokovic’s participation in the Australian Open this time has rejuvenated the competition between the two. Rafael Nadal is leading in Grand Slam count 22 to 21 against the Serb.
“He is an incredible competitor, and if he didn’t have a chance, he wouldn’t play. On top of that, he can see Djokovic rushing in with one eye. Maybe Rafa thought he had him beat in Grand Slams, but then Novak won at Wimbledon. Fabulous, that duel!” he added further.
Every tennis fan would love to watch the two greats battle it out for the coveted title. However, there is always possibility of few surprises.
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