Somdev Devvarman says Novak Djokovic being younger and healthier than Rafael Nadal is giving him an edge over the Spaniard in the Grand Slam race. Djokovic, 35, is the second on the all-time Grand Slam record list with 21 Majors.
The first place belongs to Nadal, who has 22 Grand Slams. Roger Federer, who hasn’t played since 2021 Wimbledon, is the third with 20 Grand Slams. Nadal, 36, has won two Grand Slams this season but he is often plagued by physical issues.
On the other side, Djokovic is perfectly healthy but he has missed two Grand Slams this season because of his vaccination status.
Devvarman gives Djokovic an edge over Nadal
“It is safe to say that the world has really moved forward given that he was allowed to compete in the French Open and Wimbledon which means that we are getting closer and closer to having him being able to travel around the world.
Also, he is now just one Slam behind Rafa and he is a lot younger and has less injury concerns which is the most important thing. When you talk about the GOAT debate, for Federer to win another Slam, it’s going to be hard, which means Djokovic has got a really really good chance at winning more Slams than Rafa and it is only because he has far less injury concerns.
For Novak, all he needs is to get allowed to compete, because every time he steps on the court, except on clay, he is the outright favourite and the fact that he is incredibly determined,” Devvarman said, via The Hindustan Times.
This season, Nadal won the Australian Open and French Open while Djokovic won Wimbledon. With Djokovic out of the US Open, Nadal has a chance to win a record 23rd Grand Slam and again go up by two Slams ahead of Djokovic. Nadal is bidding to win his fifth US Open title this year. In the US Open first round, Nadal plays Rinky Hijikata.
