Medvedev expects Nadal to be a ‘big challenge’ in 2024 season after injury comeback
22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has been out of action for about a year due to an iliopsoas injury in his left leg.
New Delhi: World No. 3 tennis player Daniil Medvedev admitted that Rafael Nadal is still expected to be a “big challenge” for him next season when the Spaniard returns from a long injury layoff.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion will make his comeback after a year away from competition due to an iliopsoas injury in his left leg at the Brisbane International before competing in the 2024 Australian Open.
Nadal, 37, is undoubtedly nearing the end of his career, but Medvedev admitted it was still a daunting prospect when discussing the Spaniard’s return with The National.
“It’s just that in all the seasons he played he won a lot of games and didn’t lose a lot. It is very difficult to beat him,” Medvedev told The National.
“In fact, I may have had even less success with Rafa than with Novak. But we had some close games where I felt like I could win and maybe he got the edge in the end. So for me it will be a big challenge if I have to meet him.
“I don’t know what his form is at the moment, no one knows, and how he will deal with it. But from what I saw it looks like he is doing well and that is great for tennis,” he added.
Medvedev had won four ATP titles but failed to win a Grand Slam title in 2023. He came close to the US Open, but lost to Djokovic in the final. Medvedev had faced Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner 12 times in 2023, winning four of those encounters.
Besides Djokovic, Alcaraz was the other player to win the Major this year, but Medvedev and Sinner are considered the best of the rest.
“If we look at last year and a lot of different tournaments, at a certain point in the season and especially at the end we are a bit separated from the rest in terms of points,” Medvedev said.
“But I think this also shows that every season can be different. Stefanos (Tsitsipas) reached a final at the Australian Open; for various reasons he had a more difficult end to the season, but he can get back there and pass me, Sinner or Carlos or Novak, whoever.
“So I would still be careful with something like this. Last year, at the beginning of the season, I was outside the top 10.
“The only thing we are sure of is that Novak is always there. I could be one of the ten, Novak is always there. So hopefully I can be part of this top four and whoever the other three guys and I are going to try to do that,” the world number one added. 3 Medvedev.