"This was Novak's home court, now we go to Rafa's" - Ivanisevic on 'GOAT Race'

Monday, 30 January 2023 at 00:00

Updated at Sunday, 29 January 2023 at 23:02

bySebastian Dahlman

Novak Djokovic is very dangerous in Melbourne Park and he proved it once again, but there's one Grand Slam tournament and one player that is even more dangerous on its courts.

The Serbian collected his 10th Australian Open title, but he will probably never match the record of his biggest rival, Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard won 14 trophies at the Roland Garros, and that's the next Grand Slam tournament, where one of the two can win the 23rd major and tie Serena Williams.

Djokovic's coach, Goran Ivanisevic discussed this after the final match at the Australian Open, when he said:

"Definitely two, three more years. The way he's taking care of his body, the way he approach about everything, the food, it's amazing. It's unbelievable the level. We talking about young guys. They're here, it's great for tennis, great for the future of tennis. But you still have these two guys battling."

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"This was Novak home court, and now we going next one to Rafa home court in this handball match of 22-22. Yes, they are coming, Alcaraz, unbelievable. Still, if Rafa steps on the court on the French Open, for me he's always the favorite to win the tournament."

But the Croat is aware of the fact, that it's not just about the Big Three, out of which two are still active, anymore. Likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner are doing really well at every major, and it's only a matter of time before the number of Grand Slam champions grows by one agian.

"There are a lot of guys who can beat him, also Novak. But Rafa, it's 14 times to win a tournament. You cannot even win a tournament at home 14 times in a row. It's amazing. They really push each other."