“Nadal will be my biggest rival ever,” Novak Djokovic says rivalry with Rafael Nadal hard to eliminate amidst tussle for world number one ranking
Novak Djokovic has claimed that Rafael Nadal will be his biggest rival, despite fresh tussle with Carlos Alcaraz.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic reclaimed the world number-one ranking last month when he won his 10th Australian Open title. The Serbian displaced Carlos Alcaraz off the helm of the ATP Rankings, as the latter missed the 2023 Australian Open owing to an injury. That’s not all, the 35-year-old further heaped praise on the Spaniard, who has been a revelation in the sport over the past couple of years.
Carlos Alcaraz claimed the 2022 US Open title, which helped him become world number one for the first time in his career. Novak Djokovic heaped praise on the youngster and stated that he deserves to be where he is at the moment. The 22-time Major champion added that Carlos Alcaraz could play well on all surfaces, and he is backed by a strong coaching staff.
Novak Djokovic asserted that continuing as the world number one would certainly be one of his goals for the rest of the season. However, his main priority is to stay in good physical shape and play as many tournaments as his body allows him to.
“As for Alcaraz, he deserved to be where he is. He is a great refresher for tennis. I have nothing but praise for him both as a person and as a player. He doesn’t have many flaws as a tennis player, he plays equally well on all surfaces, he has a great team and everything works for him as it should. He recovered from his injury, won his first tournament, and is doing well,” said Djokovic.
“Maintaining first place is not my priority, so that could change. Of course, I’m aiming for number 1, but at the moment it’s more a consequence of good results. The priority is to stay healthy and to be in the best possible shape in accordance with every segment of myself on and off the court because, when I am balanced, then I can win any tournament,” he added.
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Novak Djokovic says rivalry with Rafael Nadal is hard to eliminate
Novak Djokovic further added that Rafael Nadal is his biggest rival to date. The duo shares the record for the most number of Grand Slam titles won by a male player in the Open Era. However, Rafael Nadal has struggled with injuries in the last couple of months, which has pushed him out of the picture.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are primed to be top contenders for the big events this season. However, the Serbian believes that amidst the ongoing tussle for the world’s number one spot, it is hard to eliminate his rivalry with Rafael Nadal. They have shared the stage for over 15 years, and have given their fans some memorable moments.
“He (Carlos Alcaraz) deserves all his success and has brought new energy to tennis, both as a game and as a person. I can’t call him my main rival, my biggest rival is still Nadal. Carlos is the next big name in our sport, but the rivalry with Nadal is hard to eliminate because someone has been playing superbly for the last year and a half. Nadal will be my biggest rival ever,” said Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz returned to top gear after returning from injury in the past week. The Spaniard claimed the Argentina Open title, which was his first ATP tournament in 2023. Novak Djokovic heaped praise on Carlos Alcaraz for putting his best game forward, despite being out on the sidelines for close to four months.
“Alcaraz is playing amazing, especially after a few months off due to injuries. It’s incredible that he immediately reached such a high level after a long break, and it shows how mature he is,” Djokovic continued.
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Nirmit Mehta
(2425 Articles Published)