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Novak Djokovic Not Surprised With Toni Nadal Joining Felix Auger-Aliassime at Monte-Carlo Masters 2021

Published 04/12/2021, 6:30 AM EDT

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Toni Nadal joining Team Felix Auger-Aliassime at Monte-Carlo Masters 2021 left the tennis world in shock. However, Novak Djokovic, who is always looking out for his fellow players, claimed he was not surprised.

Djokovic has a reputation for taking personal interests in the well-being of his fellow players. Moreover, he had even expressed a desire to coach the Canadian rising star in the past. The Serbian had said that Felix was a great guy, a very talented player, and had a fantastic work ethic.

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Novak Djokovic opens up on the Felix Auger-Aliassime and Toni Nadal link-up

In a press conference before the Monte-Carlo tournament, Novak Djokovic spoke about the Felix Auger-Aliassime and Toni Nadal link-up. He even provided insight into this new situation.

Djokovic said, “It honestly did not surprise me too much. I know Felix has spent quite a bit of time in the last couple years in Rafa’s academy training and getting an advice and mentorship from Toni.”

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The Canadian conducted his entire 2021 pre-season at the Rafa Nadal Academy. After the training got over, Felix revealed how Toni gave him first-hand suggestions to improve his game.

Now, Rafael Nadal‘s uncle and ex-coach is training Felix full time for the Monte-Carlo Masters. He will face Chilean Christian Garin in his opening round at the first clay-court Masters tournament of 2021.

Most significantly, the 20-year-old Canadian has a concerning 0-7 record in title matches. Therefore, it would be interesting to see what improvement Toni can make.

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What are Djokovic’s chances of winning the Monte-Carlo Masters 2021?

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Djokovic has won the Monte-Carlo Masters title twice, in 2013 and 2015. There is no doubt that he would want to win it for the third time this year. However, the 56 player-field that Monte-Carlo has is not going to make things easy for anyone.

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Additionally, the top seed has to endure a challenging route to make it to the finals as per the draw. But the 33-year-old Serbian hardly misses returning well above his expectations.

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After all, the tournament has begun, and in the next two weeks, fans will learn who claims the title. Who is your favorite for the title this year?

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Written by:

Purav Joshi

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.
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