Roger Federer’s former coach, Ivan Ljubicic, has admitted that he hopes to see Rafael Nadal pile the pressure on Novak Djokovic in 2024. Djokovic and Nadal are the last two active members of the ‘big three’, and the latter is expected to be retired in 12 months’ time, following his farewell season.
Nadal last played competitively at the Australian Open back in January, and he is set to make his return from a series of injury complications at this year’s tournament in Melbourne.
Since Nadal’s last game, Djokovic has won three of the four available Grand Slams, taking him two clear of the Spaniard at the top of the men’s all-time chart. The one major title he didn’t win in 2023 – Wimbledon – saw him beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set final.
With Nadal firmly on the comeback trail ahead of next month’s Australian Open, Ljubicic, who coached Federer between 2016 and 2022, hopes to see the Swiss’ former foe put Djokovic to the sword.
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“I think the most successful one is definitely Novak, at least on the male side,” he told the ATP Tennis Radio podcast. “He keeps winning, he is not stopping and I am really curious and I will love to see Rafa back in 2024 to give him some heat.
“Novak is incredible. I mean, when you look at the way he is playing now and you look at 10 years ago, you will see the same person, which is remarkable, knowing how old he is.”
“I always expect him to play at his best, to be honest,” said the 24-time major winner. “Many times they’ve signed him out, they’ve done that with me as well. But we’ve proved them wrong.
“He’s not a kind of a player that will come back to the tour just to play – let’s say – on a medium level, play a few matches. He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that’s why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I’m sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam.”
