“He will end up winning the most Grand Slam titles” Barbara Schett believes Novak Djokovic to dethrone Rafael Nadal in the GOAT debate over winning the most number of titles
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Novak Djokovic, Barbara Schett and Rafael Nadal
Novak Djokovic had a rough start to the year beginning with deportation from Australia over being unvaccinated which did not give him a chance to defend his title at the Australian Open followed by the quarter-final exit at French Open where he again failed to defend his title. But triumph came his way when he went on to clinch his 21st Grand Slam title as well as his 7th Wimbledon title defeating Nick Kyrgios in his maiden final appearance. But future had other plans when his chance at participation at the US Open in 2022 went into doubt over his ‘unvaccinated‘ status and is still waiting for the final call on the debate.
On the other part, Rafael Nadal has been on a roll this year with going to clinch the Australian Open title as well as the French Open title which gave him a chance to move ahead in the race for winning most singles Grand Slam titles. He was on a way to clinching another title at Wimbledon but his abdominal injury incurred during the quarter-finals of SW19 led to his withdrawal from the tournament and also brought a full stop to his calendar Grand Slam. He will be a favorite to become the champion at the US Open since Djokovic’s chances are minimal.
Nadal has the maximum number of singles titles which is 22 followed by Novak Djokovic’s tally at 21 and Roger Federer is still at 20 singles Grand Slam titles since he played his last match at the Wimbledon Championship in 2021 where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets.
“Novak Djokovic has time in hand whereas clocking is ticking for Rafael Nadal” Barbara Schett on the GOAT debate
Barbara Schett, a former Austrian player, without a doubt shared her opinion about Novak Djokovic will end up with the maximum number of titles surpassing Rafael Nadal‘s record. She said “It’s a rough year for Djokovic. I think now he practices just like if he was going to the US Open. If there’s a last-minute change, he’s going to be there, and if not, his life will continue. It’s horrible because I still think if he would go to the US Open, would be able to play now, he is the favorite for me to win the title. I think he will give absolutely everything to go down in the history books by winning the most Grand Slam titles“
She further revealed that the Serbian has some years left in his kitty to play given the fact he is the fittest of all. She further added, “His body is fine and doesn’t suffer too many injuries. I think Novak will still play for many more years. Clearly, he’s not far away. He’s only got one more to go, and then he equals Rafa Nadal. If you look at Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic now, I would say Novak can still play for another two, three years, or maybe even longer. And Rafa Nadal, I think the clock is definitely ticking there. “
Upon asking about his stance on not being vaccinated she added that it’s totally the player’s choice but needs to be ready to face its repercussions as well. She added “I have absolutely no doubt about that because to me, he’s the best tennis player, the most consistent tennis player out there. But then on the other side, he chose not to be vaccinated, and that’s fine, but then he has to live with the consequences as well, that he can’t enter certain countries.“
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)