The World No. 1 had the opportunity to leapfrog the Mallorcan in the Slam race at Flushing Meadows last year, but ended up losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final. At the Australian Open, Nadal capitalized on Djokovic’s absence to become the first man in tennis history to reach the 21-Slam mark.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Functional Tennis Podcast, Arthur Fery remarked that the Serb will outdo Nadal in the coming years as long as the pandemic doesn’t complicate matters.
In the GOAT debate, however, Arthur Fery said he was leaning towards Roger Federer. Hailing the Swiss maestro as the “most elegant and effortless” player the sport has ever seen, Fery asserted that he will always be the “GOAT of elegance.”
Despite that, the Brit said he expected the 40-year-old to retire without winning another Major, ending his career with 20 Slams under his belt.
Novak Djokovic could catch up with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros
Novak Djokovic has a very good shot at equaling Rafael Nadal’s tally in the Slam race at the upcoming French Open, where he is the defending champion. France has already announced the withdrawal of its vaccine mandates, meaning that the World No. 1 should be allowed to enter the event without any resistance.
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is currently recovering from a rib stress fracture that is expected to keep him out for 4-6 weeks. Monte-Carlo Masters has already been removed from his schedule and it is not yet clear when or where he will return to action.
This gives the 20-time Grand Slam champion a much-needed upper hand in terms of preparation for the all-important tournament, which is to be held from May 22 to June 5.
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