"I don't think Rafael Nadal is going to look at Novak's position because he knows that on clay he's the toughest guy to beat" - Alex Corretja
Former World No. 2 Alex Corretja believes Rafael Nadal will be "in the mood" for the clay court season following his triumph in Australia.
After missing a chunk of the 2021 season due to injury, the Spaniard had a good start to 2022 by winning the Melbourne Summer Set 1 without dropping a set. The 35-year-old then competed at the Australian Open as the sixth seed and reached the quarterfinals after wins over Marcos Giron, Yannick Hanfmann, Karen Khachanov and Adrian Mannarino.
He then fought off Denis Shapovalov and Matteo Berrettini to set up a final showdown with World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev. Nadal fought back from two sets down to defeat the Russian in the summit clash and win a record 21st Grand Slam singles title.
Rafa reigns again 🏆
#AusOpen • #AO2022 https://t.co/Ia5JkrcafG
In an interview with Eurosport, Corretja said the King of Clay will be "fresh" and "ready" to head into the clay court season after his triumph at Melbourne Park.
"After he won in Australia I think Rafa is in the mood, he's feeling so fresh and so ready to go and enter the clay-court season," Corretja said. "He's someone with a lot of power, a lot of confidence."
The Spaniard's rival Novak Djokovic said in an interview with the BBC recently that he is willing to forego the French Open and Wimbledon to stick to his principles regarding vaccination. The Serb is yet to be vaccinated and could miss out on a number of upcoming tournaments.
Corretja said Nadal would not be too bothered by Djokovic's situation ahead of the clay court season because he knows that he is the one to beat when it comes to the surface.
"I don't think he's going to look at Novak's position," the two-time Roland Garros runner-up said. "Because he knows that on clay he's the toughest guy to beat. Of course if Novak plays or not, there are consequences. There are consequences in the draw, there are consequences when you enter the tournament."
"But I think they [Nadal and Djokovic] are so good that they really need to focus on themselves. And then see what the others decide. But neither of them need to look across at the other, or whether Roger [Federer] is back or not," he added.
The Spaniard will be bidding for a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title in Paris later this year.
Rafael Nadal is on the entry list for Indian Wells Masters
Nadal will be keen to get back in the groove ahead of the clay court season. He is on the entry list for the Indian Wells Masters, which is scheduled to take place from March 7-20.
“For me it will be even more special returning this year after missing the tournament in October. See you soon in the tennis (and golf) paradise, Indian Wells.”
The three-time champ has his sights set on #TennisParadise this March 🌴 https://t.co/aiLUXXddXg
The Spaniard has also signed up for the Mexican Open in Acapulco later this month but will take a call on whether to compete based on how he feels physically.
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