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Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning the match point during their final singles match daring day 10 of the ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after winning the match point during their final singles match daring day 10 of the ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images)
World No.1 Novak Djokovic lifted his 20th Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon Championships 2021. The Serbian legend has now equalized both his arch-rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, in the Grand Slam tally and has brought a new angle to the GOAT debate.
It is turning out to be a great year for Novak Djokovic. He won three Grand Slam titles and lost just a single match at the majors this year.
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Rafael Nadal believes that Novak Djokovic has no weaknesses
In a recent interview, 20-time Grand Slam champion, Rafael Nadal, complimented rival Djokovic. The Spaniard believes that he is a perfect tennis player and can play really well on any surface.
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2018 French Open Tennis Tournament – Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia while playing a tie break doubles exhibition match against Simone Halep of Romania and Alexander Zverev of Germany on Court Philippe Chatrier during a packed Children’s Day at Roland Garros before the start of the 2018 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on May 26th 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
“He’s a perfect tennis player and has no weaknesses. He can play on clay courts, turf courts, and hard courts,” said Nadal in the interview. (Translated via Google Translate)
Interestingly, Djokovic and Nadal have faced each other 58 times on the court in their careers so far. Even though the Serbian currently leads the head-to-head battle with 30 triumphs, Rafa is not far behind with 28 victories. Intriguingly, Djoker is the only player who has been successful in battling past Nadal twice at the French Open.
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“This year he is showing tremendous stability”- Nadal on Djokovic
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In the same interview, Nadal highlighted that Nole’s stability has been brilliant, especially this year. He feels that in 2021, even when he was not in the best of his form, he managed to beat his opponents quite easily.
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain after the ATP Cup Final that Serbia won in 3 sets on day 10 of the ATP Cup at Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
“Moreover, this year he is showing tremendous stability. Even on days when he looks sick, he makes up for the lack of energy with the feeling that he’ll definitely win,” added the 35-year-old.
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As of now, Rafael Nadal has already ended his 2021 season due to injury. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic is likely to feature at the ATP Finals 2021 soon. Will he be able to end the year as the World No.1 player?
