The upsetting side to legendary trio's dominance

2 years ago 54

Rafael Nadal believes the trouble of winning 20 oregon much singles expansive slams is mislaid connected the tennis satellite due to the fact that he, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer reached the people successful the aforesaid era.

When the 22-time expansive slam champion was asked connected the cusp of the Australian Open if the emerging procreation could lucifer the unthinkable feats of the legendary trio, he said determination was "no uncertainty astir the potential" possessed by the game's rising stars.

But Nadal besides insisted that pursuing successful the footsteps of himself, Djokovic and Federer would beryllium hard.

"I can't foretell the future, but immoderate of the names that you named — they are ace good. But Carlos (Alcaraz) has 1 expansive slam and the others person zero yet," Nadal told reporters connected Saturday.

"So if we commencement talking astir achieving 22 expansive slams, oregon 21, 20, it's a large deal. That tin happen? Yes. Why not? But astatine the aforesaid time, ne'er happened successful the past, truthful volition not beryllium casual for it to hap 2 generations successful a row. So, that's conscionable putting the logical position successful the room.

"They're ace good, they're going to person an astonishing career, they're going to triumph slams, they're going to triumph a batch of tournaments. Yes.

"Not 2 players of their procreation are going to execute 20, 21, 22 expansive slams. If idiosyncratic tin scope that number? Maybe. Going to beryllium difficult. They person a batch of things to bash successful front, but you ne'er cognize what tin happen.

"I mean, astir apt due to the fact that person been 3 players that achieved that overmuch we suffer a small spot of position that however hard it is. We are present playing tennis astatine the property of 36 ... and you request to person a precise agelong career. Injuries are there, circumstances successful beingness ... don't speech astir the level of tennis due to the fact that that's a happening that you tin have, but past there's a batch of antithetic facts successful the beingness that tin hap that makes this situation, oregon this result, difficult."

Watch the Australian Open unrecorded and escaped connected the Nine Network: Channel 9, 9Gem and 9NOW.

Russia's Daniil Medvedev conquered the US Open successful 2021 and Spain's Alcaraz won the New York large past year.

But the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud are inactive pursuing breakthrough expansive slam victories.

Nadal completes comeback to assertion 2022 Australian Open title

"No uncertainty astir the imaginable they have, but the circumstances successful beingness ... to enactment unit connected their shoulders to execute these kinds of numbers — I don't deliberation it's fair," Nadal added.

The 36-year-old has had a unsmooth clip since clinching past year's Australian Open and Roland-Garros titles.

He withdrew up of his scheduled Wimbledon semi-final owed to an abdominal tear, earlier failing to scope the quarter-final signifier of the US Open.

Nadal has besides won conscionable 1 lucifer from his past seven.

He admitted to being susceptible heading into the Australian Open.

"Yeah, without a doubt," Nadal said.

"I person been losing much than usual. So, that's portion of the business. So, conscionable judge the situation. I deliberation I americium humble capable to judge that situation and conscionable enactment with what I person today.

Djokovic becomes a seven-time Wimbledon champion

"I request to physique again each this momentum, I request to physique again this assurance with myself with victories.

"But it's existent that I person been losing much than usual.

"We tin speech astir things that happened past twelvemonth and each the situations I faced, but the existent happening is I person been losing much than accustomed ... I request to unrecorded with it and conscionable combat for the victories.

"Either way, I didn't play that atrocious the archetypal 2 matches of the year. I mislaid against 2 large opponents (Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur).

"My idiosyncratic feeling, without a doubt, is overmuch amended present than 3 weeks agone successful wide terms."

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