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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)
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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)
As the 2021 tennis season is ready to roll, predictions are also on their way. For starters, former Spanish player Alex Corretja has put his faith in Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
In 2020, the Serbian ace and the Spanish great finished inside the Top 2 for a third consecutive year. Alex believes that they will repeat this for the fourth straight year in 2021.
Since Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Australian Open, the GOAT race has been cut-short to two names, and both the World No. 1 and World No. 2 would like to win more Slams in his absence.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 27: Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Rafael Nadal of Spain cross paths during a change of ends during the Men’s Singles Final match during day 14 of the 2019 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 27, 2019, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
The two-time runner-up at the French Open, Corretja doesn’t think it will be any problem for them. Even though there is great speculation around new Slam winners, Novak and Rafael will definitely win according to Corretja.
“Djokovic and Nadal are going to continue to be at the top,” Alex said. “I would even say that the two will add at least one more Grand Slam.”
(Quotes are translated from Spanish to English via Google Translate)
The duo will begin the 2021 season together at the ATP Cup 2021. Last year, they competed for the same title where Team Serbian defeated Team Spain in the finals.
Read More: Rafael Nadal’s Schedule for the 2021 Season
Will Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic leave Federer behind?
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: 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)
The Serbian will not let go of his Australian Open dominance. He has won the Slam a record 8-times and has been the champion for the last two years.
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Similarly, there is no question of the Spaniard’s ability to win the French Open again. The 34-year-old has ruled at the Roland-Garros a whopping 13 times as well as over the last four years.
On the opposite side, the Swiss maestro has been the record champion at the Wimbledon Championships with eight titles. However, it is still unlikely for the 39-year-old to add one more Slam to his name. Given his age and injury-related challenges, Federer currently stands in the toughest spot for a comeback.
Until the World No. 5 returns, tennis fans will have their eyes glued on the Top 2 players. In addition to them, the next-generation players are expected to take over the Grand Slam dominance of the Big Three.
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How many Grand Slams will Djokovic and Nadal claim this year?
Also Read: Dominic Thiem at No. 2, Roger Federer at No. 7: How Would the ATP Rankings Look if Not Been Frozen
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