“There Will Be Other Favourites to Win a Slam”: Former French Open Champion Points Out Rafael Nadal’s Challenges in 2021

Spain’s Rafael Nadal has won 11 of his 20 Slam titles in the last 10 years. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic won 16 of his 17 titles in this past decade alone. This indicates that these two have won 27 of the 40 majors played in the last 10 years. The statistics clearly show their dominance in the men’s game. However, things might change this coming season.

In 2020, for the first time, Dominic Thiem won the US Open, making it the first major to be won by the new breed of players. During the ATP Finals, he beat both Djokovic and Nadal during the tournament. Even Daniil Medvedev has certainly shown maturity in his game. He has made himself a true challenger in the quest for grand slam glory. 

2021 won’t be only about Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Recently, former grand slam winner, Juan Carlos Ferrero, issued a warning stating that players like Nadal and Djokovic can be threatened in the majors this coming season. He said, “I feel that in 2021 there will be other favorites. There will be other players with increasingly good chances to win Slams. Not just Djokovic and Nadal as it has been before. Thiem would be one of those guys for sure.”

The Spaniard did express the challenges that Nadal or Djokovic could pose, since they know all about the game. After all these years of dominance, they have experience on their side. He said, “Djokovic and Nadal have shown us this year that they still have the ambition. They have the body to compete for the biggest titles in our sport. If they win some more Grand Slam titles it would not be a surprise.”

As the Australian Open 2021 is going to begin in February, all the top seeds including Nadal and Djokovic will surely make their presence felt. With Federer coming back on tour after the new breed of players has stepped up their games, it’ll be interesting to see the first major of the new year. 

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