Mats Wilander thinks Novak Djokovic is “the most disappointed player” with Rafael Nadal’s French Open absence.
Last week, record 14-time French Open champion Nadal announced he was out of Roland Garros after failing to recover in time from an injury suffered to his psoas muscle.
Djokovic, who is tied with Nadal on the all-time Grand Slam record list with 22 Majors, is among the top favorites to win the French Open and set a new all-time Grand Slam record.
“I think that in a way, you’re disappointed maybe more than anything that you don’t get to play Rafa somewhere. And I would think for Novak Djokovic, he’s most probably the most disappointed player in the whole tournament. Because surely he would like to win his 23rd – his third French Open – by beating Rafa Nadal along the way,” Wilander told Eurosport.
Wilander thinks Djokovic is disappointed with Nadal’s RG absence
Over the last two years, there haven’t been many Grand Slams that featured both Djokovic and Nadal.
Wilander is disappointed by seeing that as that’s the last thing tennis needs when Djokovic and Nadal are battling for the all-time Grand Slam record.
“It’s such a big time in tennis right now in terms of the history of the game and the history of being the greatest ever. And when we don’t get Novak because of the Covid vaccine situation and now we don’t get Rafa because of injury, the race is kind of weird in my mind. I mean, I’ve always said it. I hope in many ways that Rafa and Novak end up on the same number of Grand Slams, and then Roger Federer will be mentioned in the same sentence as the greatest ever anyway,” Wilander said.
It remains to be seen if Djokovic can win his third French Open title in Nadal’s absence.
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