Novak Djokovic has had an up and down tennis season. The reigning world number one began the year with a dominant win at the Australian Open, and he currently has a 37-2 winning record in 2020. However, Djokovic had a disappointing showing at the US Open, which ended after he defaulted in his fourth-round match. The Serbian star redeemed himself by making it to the final at the French Open, but he lost to Rafael Nadal and watched the Spaniard lift his 20th Grand Slam title. Despite the loss, Novak’s coach, Marian Vajda, recently declared that his client would surpass Nadal and Roger Federer in the race to be the most successful male tennis player in history.
Vajda congratulates Nadal for his French Open victory over his client
In a recent interview, Vajda congratulated Nadal for winning his record-tying Grand Slam title over Djokovic at the Roland Garros. However, the Slovakian coach insisted that he was proud of his Serbian client. “Kudos to Nadal, but Novak still remains the champion and is the first in the world.” Vajda is confident that Djokovic will end the season as world number one for the sixth time in his career. Additionally, the decorated coach has predicted that the Australian Open champion will surpass Nadal and Federer’s Grand Slam tally by the end of his career.
Djokovic could end the year as the world number one for the sixth time in his career
Djokovic will have to win three titles to tie his rivals and hope that Nadal and Federer end their careers without winning another Grand Slam. However, Vajda believes that his client has the age advantage over his decorated opponents. As well as winning more Grand Slams than any other player in history, the successful coach thinks that Djokovic will break Federer’s record of most career weeks as world number one. The Serbian star passed Pete Sampras 286 weeks record in September to move into second place on the all-time list, and he could match Federer’s 310 weeks at the position in the coming months.
While concluding his interview, Vajda vowed that he would continue supporting his client as he aims to break some longstanding tennis records in the latter stages of his career. The Slovakian coach feels that Djokovic has a strong and positive mentality, and he is determined to achieve even more success with him and continue their fruitful partnership. The reigning world number one will play at the Vienna Open next week, and he is aiming to rack up 500 ranking points and increase his chances of ending the year as world number one. Novak has won five singles titles this season and given his impressive 37-2 winning record for the season, he will be the favorite to win any tournament he plays in.
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Currently ranked no.1, the Serbian played his last encounter on the 11th of October when he surrendered to Rafael Nadal 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final of the French Open.
During this season Djokovic has a composed 37-2 record. Djokovic has won 4 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open, in Dubai, in New York and in Rome. Djokovic was the runner-up at the French Open.
Rafael Nadal in 2020
At the moment ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 11th of October when he beat Novak Djokovic 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final of the French Open to win his 86th career title.
At present, this year the Spaniard has an overall 22-4 match record. The Spaniard conquered 2 titles in 2020 in Acapulco and at the French Open.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played each other 56 times. The head to head is 29-27 for Djokovic. The last time that they squared off, Rafael Nadal won 6-0 6-2 7-5 in the final in Paris (French Open) on the 11th of October 2020.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
