The 2023 Race For The GOAT
Don’t believe me? Well, as it stands now, we have two magnificent players who are not only arguably still at the top of their game but also tied at 22 Grand Slams a piece. Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic also comfortably reside in the top 8 of men’s tennis. This means they will continue to get favorable seedings at each and every Grand Slam this year.
We all know Rafa has been nursing an injury, however, he should be ready to go by the time the clay court season gets underway. Once he hits the red clay courts of Roland Garros, it is very likely he’ll be the favorite once again. It’s also very likely he’ll go into King of Clay mode once he’s there. Which means it’s very likely he’ll collect his 23rd Grand Slam title and 15th French Open.
I expect Djokovic to give Rafa a run for his money at Roland Garros, however, beating Nadal in five sets at Roland Garros is a task not even Djokovic may be up for.
Djokovic’s best chance to add to his Grand Slam haul this year will come at Wimbledon, where he is a three-time defending champion. Nick Kyrgios is arguably the second-best grass court player in the world and tested him last year in his four-set victory. There are other exceptional grass court players to make it difficult for Djokovic, such as Matteo Berrettini. That being said, Djokovic has shown that he is a total master on the green grass. It is very likely he wins his fourth straight Wimbledon.
This means that they’ll potentially head to the US Open tied at 23 Grand Slams a piece. Both men have not won the US Open in a while, with Nadal winning in 2019 and Djokovic in 2018. Out of the two, Djokovic has the better chance of winning the US Open. If both men are healthy, my prediction is that both men will go into 2024 with Nadal at 23 Grand Slams and Djokovic at 24 Grand Slams.
However, it’s entirely possible that neither man wins a Grand Slam in the remainder of the year. Let’s not forget that Medvedev is a big threat on hard courts. Kyrgios and Berrettini will be tough to beat at Wimbledon. In terms of the French Open, Alcaraz will come in hungry for another slam. It’s not going to be easy for either man to add to their Grand Slam haul.
Either way, make sure you have your coffee ready; you’ll be staying up really late watching all these wonderful matches throughout the year.
Like always, don’t forget to jump on to the TennisPAL app to stay up to date on tennis news, find groups of friends to play with, and get a virtual coach to help with your tennis game.
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