Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal formed one of the biggest rivalries in tennis history. However, due to the long sidelines of Nadal this season, Djokovic had a clear cut chance for grabs, which he did in fine fashion.
The Serbian won three of the four Grand Slam titles this season, making it difficult for NextGen players like Carlos Alcaraz, whom he defeated twice this year. Djokovic is considered to be the GOAT of tennis by many; however, former Tennis player John McEnroe believes that there is someone better than the Serbian on clay court.
McEnroe disagrees with Mats Wilander’s assertion about Djokovic’s clay-court dominance
Rafael Nadal has always been dubbed the king of clay and many tennis fans and lovers believe the Spaniard has produced one of the most astonishing performances on the clay court. Thus, when Mats Wilander said Novak Djokovic was the best on the clay court, he provoked a vehement disagreement from American legend John McEnroe.
In 2015-16, Rafael Nadal suffered one of the leanest patches of his active career, which forced him to drop as low as World No. 10; however, the rankings were still lenient towards injured top-ranked players. After Nadal won the 2014 French Open, he failed to win a Grand Slam title for three years, and Djokovic, meanwhile, was the most dominant he had been.
Nadal hunted for a sixth consecutive championship at the 2015 French Open and blazed through his first four matches to set up a quarterfinal matchup against Djokovic. He was seeded sixth in that season by Roland Garros, but the ‘King of Clay’ was still expected to be a title contender. However, he was no match for Djokovic on the day. The eventual runner-up dismantled Nadal in straight sets. Rafael Nadal, who has suffered three career losses to the French, suffered his second-ever defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic.
In a post-match analysis with McEnroe on Eurosport, the seven-time Majors winner said that when Djokovic plays like he did back then, he could eventually become the best player of all time on clay.“I mean, when you see him play like that, he could potentially be the best clay-court player of all time. Because how can you beat that? He’s better now than he was before.”
John McEnroe clearly objected to the Wilander claim and he clarified that he did not mean statistically but was talking about the level of gameplay. “Not in wins, now. The level of tennis. But he could really hurt Nadal. I think if four years ago, Djokovic was at this level, it could sort of have been a similar situation (Nadal’s dominance at the French Open),” Wilander said.
Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal twice at the French Open
Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal twice at the French Open. The first came in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, in which an efficient Djokovic showed his skill and brilliance. However, Novak Djokovic finished runner-up to Stan Wawrinka in 2015. The Serbian finally won the Roland Garros and threw his match-winning racket to fans who later auctioned it for more than $100,000. In 2017, Nadal bounced back and picked up four titles consecutively.
Wilander also praised Novak Djokovic on clay after his 2022 semi-final win over Rafael Nadal. The Serbian gave the Spaniard his third loss ever in the history of the tournament. It made him the only man to defeat Nadal twice at the clay Grand Slam. Wilander claimed that Djokovic beating Nadal twice in Roland Garros is a milestone for the Serb.
Who is the best player on the clay court in your opinion? Make sure to let us know in the comments section.
