After playing a few competitive games in 2023, Rafael Nadal was on the sidelines throughout the recently concluded season. However, the Spanish tennis player, who was struggling with injury woes that needed surgery, is now on the verge of his much-awaited return to the tour. Ahead of a robust comeback, his arch-rival, Novak Djokovic, recently issued some major assertions about his Spanish colleague.

After a lengthy hiatus, the former world No. 1 player is all set to mark his participation in the first Grand Slam event of the new season. As Nadal is leaving no stone unturned in his preparations, his rival, Djokovic, opened up about the Spaniard’s ‘intentions’ to taste more major glory on the tour.

Novak Djokovic on how Rafael Nadal wants to win more Grand Slam titles

After a near-season-long injury absence, the ‘King of the Clay’ is returning to on-court action at the Australian Open warm-up event in Brisbane. Speaking about his arch-rival’s much-awaited comeback, Novak Djokovic recently opened up about how he believes that the Spaniard wants to win a Grand Slam in the new season.

In a recent conversation at an exhibition match in Riyadh, the Serbian tennis great asserted that Nadal is not the kind of a player who will come back to the tennis circuit ‘just to play.’  Djokovic also said, “He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that’s why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I’m sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam.”

While the 24-time singles Grand Slam champion opened up about his views, another big gun, Carlos Alcaraz, came forward to issue his take on Nadal’s return to the tour.

Carlos Alcaraz on his compatriot’s robust comeback

Nadal twice needed surgery after picking up a hip injury, as he later dropped out of the top 100 rankings on the men’s tour. While there is a lot of skepticism about the Spaniard’s fitness levels, his young compatriot, Carlos Alcaraz, believes that Nadal is all geared up for his comeback.

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During the exhibition match in Riyadh, the 2-time singles Grand Slam champion revealed how he has been watching videos of Nadal’s practice sessions. Notably, Alcaraz said, “I think he’s ready… I saw some videos of him practising, he’s 100 percent.”

What do you think of Djokovic and Alcaraz touting the Spanish tennis legend ahead of his return to the court? Let us know in the comments section.

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