Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s futures predicted by former No.1
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have had their illustrious careers assessed by that of 11-time Grand Slam champion Bjorn Borg, who has predicted how much longer they will both play for.
Djokovic and Nadal have personal experience with Borg, as he has been the captain of Team Europe in the Laver Cup since the event began in 2017.
Team Europe 📸 Team World.
Standing at ready #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/gwWFdNdaRk
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 22, 2022
Nadal is currently on the sidelines with another injury, this time a grade two tear to his iliopsoas muscle, that he sustained at the Australian Open.
The Spaniard misses out on the sunshine double this year, meaning that he will fall outside the top 10 for the first time since 2005 and Borg suggested that the 36-year-old may be winding down.
“I think Rafa [Nadal], like you said, he’s not going to be in the top 10 for so many years now. But I think he’s a very happy guy,” claimed the Swede.
He continued, “I mean, what he achieved in tennis, he will still want to continue to play. Maybe the body is not working 100%, but he still wants to play.”
Djokovic won the most recent Grand Slam at the Australian Open, regaining his place at the top of the ATP rankings, and Borg has implied that the Serb will move ahead in the record books, “Novak, I think he might win one or two more Grand Slam tournaments.”
“Who knows? But he is doing it not for himself but for tennis and journalists. Unbelievable. He’s still pushing the limits. He wants to be the greatest.”
He added, “He wants to win more tournaments, break all the records in tennis history. I mean, he is a fantastic player.”
Borg believes that Nadal may play for another year, but Djokovic will play for longer, “But to have these guys involved with tennis, you never know what Rafa is going to do, maybe play one more year. I don’t know.”
“It is up to him mentally or his body or whatever. But Novak is going to be around for a few more years.”
Nadal has confirmed he will not be playing in the Miami Open and it appears unlikely that Djokovic will be able to as well, due to his vaccination status.
Therefore, the next time we are likely to see the two tennis greats is on the clay as they turn their attention to Roland Garros.
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