Grand Slam winner 2022? Don't forget about Rafael Nadal!
Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev won the Grand Slam tournaments in 2021. Together with Alexander Zverev , the two are probably the big favorites for the coming season. Who still has a chance?
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Dec 24, 2021, 03:20 pm
On a Sunday in September in Flushing Meadows, Novak Djokovic's dream of winning the Calendar Grand Slam to Daniil Medvedev was shattered. Or the nervous tension that the world number one was exposed to after 27 match successes in a row in the final of the US Open. With a view to the coming season - and especially the Australian Open - Djokovic should still be the first contender for victory in a major. No matter where.
Behind them, Daniil Medvedev and, with the outstanding second half of the year, Alexander Zverev have positioned themselves. And that although the German has not yet defeated a top ten player in one of the four biggest tournaments of the year. Was that it then? Or do Matteo Berrettini , 2021 finalist at Wimbledon, or Stefanos Tsitsipas , who led 2-0 sets in the Paris final against Djokovic, also have a place on this list?
Melzer relies on Nadal
Jan de Witt, the German coach who will fly to the Australian Open with Andy Murray, has two other players on his list, as he explained to tennisnet.com a few days ago. On the one hand, there is Jannik Sinner, who is basically not yet at the same level as Medvedev and Zverev, but from whom a further leap in quality can be expected.
And then there would be the master of all classes on ashes: Rafael Nadal . Not only de Witt sees this with a chance of the 14th title at the French Open, but also Austria's legend Jürgen Melzer. "As long as Nadal can still walk, you can always count on him in Paris," said Melzer in the current issue of "Quiet, please - the tennisnet podcast". Limitation, however: Nadal could win Paris, but someone else would have to defeat Novak Djokovic. Melzer no longer trusts 35-year-old Nadal to perform this feat.
qpmelzer2021
Rublev leaves too much strength
Alex Antonitsch, tournament director of the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, can also imagine Andrey Rublev as Grand Slam champion. The Russian, however, who took next to no break after winning the Davis Cup final in Madrid, tends to leave too much strength in the early rounds. A problem that also plagued Alexander Zverev in the past. The German, however, has acted extremely confidently in the last few months against opponents who are far behind him in the world rankings. Just like the industry leader Djokovic has been doing for years.