Nadal told reporters in Spain that his long-time rival was clearly the favorite. Djokovic appears extremely prepared. He had excellent results at the end of the year and began the year with a win. He has always benefited from this tournament,” he stated.
After suffering two setbacks in a row leading up to the Australian Open, defending champion Rafael Nadal said that Novak Djokovic was the clear favorite and that he felt vulnerable going into the tournament.
After suffering two setbacks in a row leading up to the Australian Open, defending champion Rafael Nadal said that Novak Djokovic was the clear favorite and that he felt vulnerable going into the tournament.
Since losing to Frances Tiafoe in the US Open’s last 16, Nadal has lost six of his last seven matches.
The defending champion acknowledged when asked if he felt vulnerable: Without a doubt, of course.
“I must reestablish all of this momentum. I need to win again to regain this confidence in myself. However, I have been losing more than usual, which is true.
In an epic five-set match, Nadal, who recently became a father, defeated Russian Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open and his 21st Grand Slam title.
That victory came after Djokovic, Djokovic’s rival and nine-time winner of the Australian Open was detained and deported prior to the tournament for refusing to get vaccinated against Covivirus-19.
After winning the Adelaide International I event last week, the Serbian star is back and in top form, aiming to surpass Nadal’s record of 22 Slam titles.
That came after another ATP Finals victory at the end of 2022. “Djokovic favorite,” Nadal told Spanish reporters, referring to his long-time rival.
“Djokovic appears extremely prepared. He had excellent results at the end of the year and began the year with a win. He has always benefited from this tournament,” he stated.
Despite the fact that he has shown he is very adept in the process, tournaments are not won on Saturday before; rather, you must work for two weeks. If he wins, we will congratulate him because he will have made history, and that’s all. No changes will be made to my life.
Even though Nadal had only lost two matches this year, he maintained that he was getting better by the day and had practiced more than ever in the past few weeks.
“My own momentum is not bad, I can tell you. I’m happy and content. “I’m practicing well,” he said.
“To me, the legs feel faster. I feel like I’m playing better because I have more self-assurance,” he added.