Djokovic stunned by Nadal’s intensity during their training in Paris. Moutet Next

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will play at the Paris Masters this week. The two swept the Grand Slam tournaments this year, with each player winning two major titles. Novak won the Australian Open and Wimbledon while the Spaniard won the Rolland Garros and the US Open. Ahead of the tournament in Bercy, Rafa and Djokovic held a training session together for the first time in years.

Djokovic and Nadal train together

Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya organized the session. The former player said that the two had tried to organize a practice session for some time but had not succeeded due to scheduling issues. However, they finally got together in Paris for a session before the tournament. The two players practiced for two hours, before ending the session with a competitive match. Djokovic won the match which lasted three sets. The two had played in a charity match in Kazakhstan last week. The Spaniard won the match the exhibition against his rival. The two players seem to have a healthy relationship despite being competitors.

It was intense and competitive

Speaking after the session in Paris, Djokovic said that he and Nadal have mutual respect for each other. They have played each other 54 times in their careers. The Serbian holds the edge with 28 wins to Nadal’s 26. However, the rivalry has not prevented the two players from spending time with each other. Novak said that he enjoyed training with the world No.2, who brought a lot of intensity to the session. “I enjoyed it, to be honest. It was great. It was a lot of fun. It was very intense and competitive.” The Serbian added that the atmosphere during the match was odd since they are used to playing in front of cheering fans in high stakes tournaments.

Djokovic and Nadal are in a battle to end the year at the number one position. The Serbian currently trails the 19-time Grand Slam champion by 1280 points. He will lose his number one position after the Paris Masters. Novak will have an opportunity to regain the position at the ATP Finals in London. He is aiming to finish the year at number one for the sixth time in his career, matching Pete Sampras’ achievement.

Djokovic vs. Moutet

The Serbian will play his first match in Bercy against Corentin Moutet. The French man is 97^th in the ATP rankings. Moutet reached the second round in Paris after defeating Lorenzo Sonego. He has a 40-26 win-loss record for the season. The Serbian has a 48-9 win-loss record in 2019. The two have never played each other. Djokovic is the favorite to win the match and should defeat the 20-year-old in two sets.

Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2019

Now ranked no.1, Djokovic played his last match on the 11^th of October when he was defeated by Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-5 6-3 in the quarter in Shanghai.

This year the Serbian has a 48-9 win-loss record. Novak has won 4 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Madrid, in Wimbledon and in Tokyo. Djokovic was the finalist in Rome.

Moutet in Paris, ranking, and results in 2019

Ranked no.97, the French Player has a 40-26 win-loss record in 2019. Moutet is competing in Paris where he defeated Lorenzo Sonego 3-6 6-3 6-0 and Dusan Lajovic 6-4 1-6 6-3.

The French Player will play Djokovic in the 2^nd round. They have never played each so far on the main tour.

Moutet conquered 2 titles in 2019 in the Chennai Challenger and in the Lyon Challenger. The French Player was the finalist in the Samarkand Challenger.

Novak Djokovic and Corentin Moutet have never played each other.