Novak Djokovic is having a stellar 2023 so far, having won the first 2 Grand Slams while making it to the finals of the Wimbledon Championships and already the semifinals of the US Open. At the age of 36, this is a commendable feat. But Rafael Nadal’s uncle and ex-coach, Toni Nadal is having none of it.
Uncle Toni has once again taken a dig at Novak Djokovic publicly by claiming in a recent interview that the Serbian isn’t a better player than he was 5-10 years ago. The Spaniard believes that the quality of tennis has gone down drastically as no player has been able to dominate Djokovic in the absence of his nephew and Roger Federer. However, Djokovic has not taken the comments very well and decided to hit back this time.
Novak Djokovic backs Carlos Alcaraz in generations debate against Toni Nadal
In an interaction with Spanish publication Marca, Novak Djokovic expressed his dismay with Toni Nadal’s comments. Djokovic said that every generation has champions and cannot be compared since the game keeps changing. The 23-time Grand Slam champion also mentioned the man who is currently his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz twice.
Novak Djokovic once again reiterated that Carlos Alcaraz is a complete player since he attacks and defends equally well. He also made a bold claim that had Alcaraz played when alongside him, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, he would have won as many titles.
The Serbian also praised Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune, indirectly calling them the ‘Big Three’ of men’s tennis currently due to their superiority in ATP Tour competitions since 2021. Djokovic was quoted as saying,
“I don’t agree with that because each generation has a group of great players that lead.
“Now there are [Jannik] Sinner, Rune and Alcaraz. They are dominating the majority of tournaments in the last two years.
“The way Carlos plays, how he defends, how he attacks… It’s very complete. Alcaraz would have won the same 10 or 15 years ago. Each generation has its own champions. Tennis has changed and evolved.”
Ahead of the US Open semi-final, it is interesting to speculate whether Toni Nadal might be playing mind games again with Novak Djokovic. During the Wimbledon Championships this year, Uncle Toni picked Roger Federer over Novak Djokovic, claiming that the former has had a transcendental-like impact on tennis with his grace and elegance on and off court.
Toni Nadal, who is currently coaching Felix Augur-Aliassime, also had said that had Rafael Nadal not had the disadvantage of playing more on hard courts, he would have easily dominated someone like Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic vs Shelton US Open semifinal live
The Djokovic vs Shelton US Open semifinal live streaming would mostly be on Fubo and ESPN apps in the United States. The match is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 8 with the timings yet to be confirmed. Novak Djokovic is aiming for his first US Open title in 5 years. While Ben Shelton has stunned the United States and the world at the age of 20, gunning for his first-ever Grand Slam final in front of his home crowd.
