"I love how Rafa plays but with Novak there's such a physical smoothness" - Kim Clijsters compares playing styles of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

Comparing the playing styles of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, Kim Clijsters stated that she is a fan of both. While the former World No. 1 admires the intensity and fighting spirit the Spaniard brings to his matches, she feels that the Serb has smoothness in his movements on the tennis court, further highlighting his fitness.

Nadal, with 22 Grand Slam singles titles, and Djokovic, with 21 Grand Slam singles titles, are miles ahead of any other active men's tennis player for most Grand Slam titles won, with Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray the next best with three Majors each.

While Nadal is best known as a hustler on the tennis court because of his incredible work rate, Djokovic is better known for his flexibility and speed, and Clijsters spoke about the same.

"I love how Rafa plays, the intensity, the battle, and the hustle. But with Novak there's such a physical smoothness, I'll call it, when he moves from side to side," Kim Clijsters said during an interview on The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast.

The Belgian tennis great lavished praise on both the Big 3 members for their ability to keep overcoming obstacles and play to the best of their abilities at this stage of their careers. While Nadal returned after a six-month layoff with a persistent foot injury to win the 2022 Australian Open, Djokovic looked quite comfortable on the court whenever he got the opportunity to play on tour this year, despite having a highly inconsistent schedule.

Clijsters feels the 36-year-old Mallorcan played "the best tennis that I've ever seen him play" at the Australian Open, which she was quite impressed by given the circumstances under which he arrived at the Melbourne Major in January.

"What Rafa did this year in Australia. You know, just knowing a little bit of how he was struggling with his foot and being so close to thinking, 'Am I actually going to get to a level I want to get back to?' And then for him to get to a level that was, maybe, some of the best tennis that I've ever seen him play, I thought was incredible," Clijsters expressed.

"Novak is like he just picks up from there, right? He goes to Wimbledon and you can see the focus," she added.

Kim Clijsters reminisces about Novak Djokovic displaying flexibility of a top-level gymnast

Novak Djokovic in action at The Championships - Wimbledon 2022.

Kim Clijsters also expressed her amazement at Novak Djokovic's fitness and flexibility, reminiscing about a photo in which the Serb was seen performing a split with the perfection of a professional gymnast. He was joined by Belgian gymnast Nina Derwael as the duo performed a full split in a gym at the Olympic village in Tokyo.

"I don't know if you saw it, but there's a picture with a Belgian gymnast at the Olympics that he posted, where he's in a full-on split right next to her. It's amazing, I love that part about him," Clijsters said.

The said photo was taken at last year's Olympic Games and was shared on social media by the Serbian.

Working on my splits with @teambelgium gymnastics ;) 🇧🇪🇷🇸🙌🏼 @ninaderwael @mae_gym #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/xOOIBYldph

The four-time Grand Slam singles champion also said that she is excited to see Djokovic's pursuit of the Grand Slam record.

"I love seeing him do well and see him try to be the greatest with the most amount of Grand Slam trophies," she added.