Novak Djokovic’s loss is Rafael Nadal’s gain as humility trumps arrogance

Novak Djokovic at Dubai Airport for a stopover on the way home to Serbia on Monday. Picture: Reuters

A few days ago, Rafael Nadal pointedly remarked that the Australian Open would remain “great” with or without Novak Djokovic’s presence.

But there is a cloud over how great the Serb’s tennis legacy will be without the Australian grand slam he has won nine times.

Djokovic has been deported. For now his best chance to cement his place in history as the greatest of all time has been jettisoned. He may not be allowed back for ­another three years. For a man who loves to break records and has never hidden his desire to become the greatest, this is an awful blow to his dream of dominance.

On the blue hardcourts of Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic was a red-hot chance to carve himself into tennis immortality with a 21st grand slam title. No man has won that many. Not Rafa, not Roger Federer. A record-breaking title for the Serb is now much harder without the chance to play in Melbourne at the grand slam where he has been most dominant.

But Djoker’s loss could be Rafa’s gain.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic (L) and Spain's Rafael Nadal shake hands at the end of their men's singles semi-final tennis match at the 2021 French Open tennis tournament in Paris in June.

The sixth-seeded Nadal has played well in the lead-up to the slam, winning the Melbourne Summer Set tournament on his return from injury. After recovering from a bout with Covid-19 he is a real chance in ­Melbourne.

Nadal has 20 grand slam titles, and with 40-year-old Federer – who has also has 20 – struggling with injury, the Spaniard now has more of a chance to carve out ­history.

While Djokovic has expressed his “huge passion” to topple all significant records in his way, Nadal has never been that person.

In an interview last April, he said as much: “Novak is more ­obsessed about this, more focused … Not in a negative way.

“No, he’s more focused on just these things and it means a lot to him all of this stuff.

“Like he’s ­always saying and talking about these records and well done for him … but it’s not my approach to my tennis career.”

Nadal said his was a “healthy ambition”, a different kind to Djokovic’s.

“I just keep going, keep doing what I’m doing and just try to put myself in a position to keep enjoying the tour and, of course, try to achieve as much as possible,” he said.

And now Nadal, the king of clay, also a victor at Melbourne Park back in 2009, could well get ahead of Djokovic. If not here then the French Open in a few months is his best chance of going one-up.

Djokovic’s anti-vax stance won’t be a problem in Paris. Last week, French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu said the government would allow someone like Djokovic to enter the country for a major event, and the tournament’s social distancing bubble system would allow him to compete at Roland Garros in May-June.

However, it is still unclear whether Wimbledon will require players to be vaccinated, although last year competitors were not asked to show proof of immunisation. There has been no word that this policy will change with the rise of Omicron and it’s been a place where Djokovic has found victory six times. He would obviously want the policy not to shift.

It is in America for the US Open that Djokovic may face another vaccination challenge. This is another tennis playground he has dominated – collecting three ­titles – but at present nearly all foreign visitors are required to prove they are fully vaccinated before boarding a flight to the US.

It must be noted Djokovic was the only player in the top 100 who wasn’t vaccinated who tried to gain entry to Australia, despite it being clear he needed to be.

As newspaper polls proved, Australians care much more for community health and collective responsibility than the naked ambition of a tennis player.

In fact, they will be happy a driven, humble guy like Nadal might usurp Djokovic. As Nadal said, the Open is bigger than one player and so too is tennis.

Djokovic has learnt that the hard way.