Novak Djokovic reacts as Rafael Nadal lands hammer blow in GOAT race

Novak Djokovic has weighed in after falling behind in the grand slam race that puts his place as the tennis GOAT in serious jeopardy.

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have both heaped praise on Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard’s incredible comeback win in the Australian Open final took him to the top of the grand slam count in men’s tennis.

Tied with Federer and Djokovic on 20 majors each heading into Sunday’s final, Nadal re-wrote the history books by battling back from two sets down to defeat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 2-6 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4 6-4 in a gruelling 5hr 24min epic in Melbourne.

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It crowned an extraordinary effort from Nadal at the year’s opening major, having to modify his game to compensate for a degenerative bone disease in his left foot that ended his 2021 season last August.

Nadal said during the tournament he thought last year the injury would force him into retirement, making his achievement even more extraordinary.

Federer, who came close to becoming the first to 21 grand slams when he lost in five sets to Djokovic in the 2019 Wimbledon final, missed the Australian Open recovering from knee surgery.

“To my friend and great rival @rafaelnadal, heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles,” Federer posted on Instagram.

“A few months ago we were joking about both being on crutches. Amazing. Never underestimate a great champion.

“Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the world.

“I am proud to share this era with you and honoured to play a role in pushing you to achieve more, as you have done for me in the past 18 years.

“I am sure you have more achievements ahead but for now enjoy this one!”

Djokovic’s hopes of being the first man to 21 major victories were dashed when he was deported from Australia prior to the grand slam over vaccination issues.

However, the 34-year-old Serbian tweeted his congratulations — after he had first saluted Ash Barty on her title win on Saturday night.

“There has been some outstanding tennis played at this year’s #AusOpen and the finals were exceptional. Congratulations to @ashbarty for an amazing performance in front of her home crowd and to Danielle Collins for an incredible tournament,” Djokovic tweeted.

“Congratulations to @RafaelNadal for 21st GS. Amazing achievement. Always impressive fighting spirit that prevailed another time.”

He added Medvedev “gave it his all out there and played with the passion and determination we have come to expect from him”.

“You put up one hell of a fight today and I know you will have many more Grand Slam wins in your future,” Djokovic wrote.

Is the grand slam race down to two? (Photo by Martin Bureau / AFP)

Djokovic has made no secret of his desire to be top of the tree with grand slam titles in the men’s game. Last year Nadal said his rival was “obsessed” with the concept of winning the most majors — but the Serbian faces an uphill task to secure the record.

Leaving aside whether he’ll even be allowed to compete at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open over vaccination issues, Djokovic has plenty of work to do to catch Nadal.

Although he’s 35 and far from his physical peak, the Spaniard showed he still has the tenacity and fighting spirit to win grand slams. He’d have to go into the French Open as favourite — having already won on the Parisian clay an absurd 13 times already.

If he can claim trophy number 14 in France, Nadal will have 22 majors — leaving Djokovic needing at least three more to win to take the overall lead.

He may still be the best player in the world but Djokovic will himself turn 35 in May, around the time of the French Open. Winning at least three grand slams after hitting that age is far from an easy feat — even for someone who has 20 major trophies already.

With AFP