Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are battling furiously to end the year at the top of the rankings. However, before their final rush in Paris and London, they are engaged in an exhibition in Kazakhstan.
The world no.1 battle
Soon after Wimbledon, it seemed almost obvious that it was Djokovic to be destined to end the season as the deserving world no.1. Nevertheless, there was a combination of factors that make Nadal to be in pole position. In fact, the Serbian sensation had to deal with a nasty injury to his left shoulder while Nadal won Montreal and the US Open to overtake Djokovic in the year to date rankings. In the race to London, Rafa has 9,225 points vs. Djokovic’s 7,945. This means that the Serb needs to bridge a gap of 1,298 points. Therefore, if he doesn’t outperform Nadal in Paris, it is going to be almost impossible for him to stay no.1 after the end of the season.
✨Real GOATs✨
Rolemodels on & off the court 😍💖@DjokerNole & @RafaelNadal arrived in Kazahstan, to play their charity match, 🎇💫#inspiration #Djokovic #Nadal pic.twitter.com/w4XQqvAH7u— Elena – fan of Nole (@ela981) October 23, 2019
The arrival in Kazakhstan
Their exhibition in Kazakhstan will be an interesting test for both to check about their condition. They had a fantastic reception at arrival. Here the video.
Rafael Nadal’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 8th of September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-4 in the final in U.S. Open to win his 84th career title.
This year Nadal has a 47-6 win-loss record. Nadal clinched 4 titles in 2019 in Rome, at the French Open, in Montreal and at the U.S. Open. The Spaniard was the finalist at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019
Now ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 11th of October when he lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.
This year Djokovic has a 48-9 win-loss record. Djokovic has won 4 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon and in Tokyo. Djokovic was the finalist in Rome.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic played each other 54 times. The head to head is 28-26 for Djokovic.
The last time that they played each other, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 4-6 6-1 in the final in Rome in 19th May 2019.
