“Novak will still be the man to beat in the Grand Slams in 2023,” Dominic Thiem gives verdict on Novak Djokovic’s Calendar Slam chances

Dominic Thiem believes that Novak Djokovic still remains the man to beat this year at Grand Slams.

“Novak will still be the man to beat in the Grand Slams in 2023,” Dominic Thiem gives verdict on Novak Djokovic’s Calendar Slam chances

Novak Djokovic

Dominic Thiem recently gave his verdict on Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning a Calendar Slam this season. The Serbian started off his season by capturing his 10th Australian Open title in January. He reclaimed his world number one ranking, and also leveled Rafael Nadal’s tally of 22 Majors.

Novak Djokovic came close to winning the Calendar Slam in 2021, when he claimed the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles. However, he came up short in the finals of the US Open, where he was defeated by Daniil Medvedev in straight sets. Dominic Thiem believes that there are many players on the tour who could beat the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this season.

The Austrian believes that Novak Djokovic will be the man to beat this season. The 2020 US Open champion also wants to see Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic lock horns against each other at the French Open in June. The duo have locked horns in each of the last three French Open’s, with Rafael Nadal coming out on top on two occasions.

“I have the feeling that there are many players now who can beat those two guys [Djokovic and Nadal]. There are great guys there, but obviously, also those two, three when Roger [Federer] was there, they were still one level above all the others, especially in the Slams, especially when it came to the best-of-five,” said Thiem.

“For the whole tennis world it would be nice to see one last showdown in Roland-Garros, obviously, but Novak will still be the man to beat in the Grand Slams in 2023,” he added.

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“Rafael Nadal is the man to beat at Roland Garros” : Dominic Thiem

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Dominic Thiem believes that Rafael Nadal stands in the way of Novak Djokovic’s quest to claim a Calendar Slam this season. The Spaniard will be chasing a record 15th French Open title. Dominic Thiem believes that Rafael Nadal remains the man to beat at the French Open, whereas, Novak Djokovic remains the favorite for Wimbledon and the US Open.

“The only tournament is Roland-Garros: if Rafael is fit there, it’s exactly the opposite. He’s the man to beat, obviously, when he won the tournament 14 times, it’s crazy. But if you see the performance of Novak at the Australian Open, which was incredible, he’s going to be probably the favourite at Wimbledon and the US Open as well,” said Thiem.

Dominic Thiem believes that Carlos Alcaraz could push Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal this season. The youngster claimed his first Grand Slam title at the Flushing Meadows last year. Dominic Thiem was impressed by the Spaniard’s level in the finals of the US Open, where he defeated Casper Ruud in four sets.

“There is, of course, Carlos Alcaraz. I saw the finals at the US Open. I watched the highlights of these finals many times and the level was great, the level was incredible. But I have the feeling that if Casper, if Carlos, are playing at this level, they can also beat Novak and Rafa at the Grand Slam tournaments. No doubt about that,” said Thiem.

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