The 38-year-old is now four wins away from a 25th Grand Slam, but he will once again have to overcome the new generation, with Sinner and 2025 French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz also into the second week.
Toni Nadal believes that his compatriot Alcaraz is the favourite to win the tournament, but he insists that Djokovic can still compete in the business end of Grand Slams.
“And his 38 years of age, rather than indicating that he doesn’t have many opportunities left to increase his trophy cabinet, could become a real incentive for his feisty character.
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“The Serbian player has had a very irregular season, with certainly incomprehensible defeats, but we must not forget that in previous Grand Slams, he not only lived up to expectations but also defeated Carlos (Alcaraz) in the first of the year, the Australian Open, and in Paris he also made things very difficult for (Jannik) Sinner in the semi-finals, after having defeated the current world No. 3, Alexander Zverev.
“Although it’s clear that Novak is far from his best form these days, I think if he manages to progress through the rounds, he could be the second contender with the best chance of winning the title.”
Alcaraz saved three championship points during the thrilling encounter at Roland-Garros before coming back from two sets down to win.
Nadal believes that the world No. 1 could struggle to recover from such an iconic loss.
“As for the Italian player, it remains to be seen whether his painful defeat on June 8 in Paris can influence his upcoming challenges,” he said.
“In the world of sports, it’s very easy to see how one’s mood and perception can change due to a ball that goes wide or goes in by just a few centimetres.
“Until that fateful date, the general feeling was that the great Italian tennis player was almost unbeatable; it’s even possible that he himself was beginning to feel that way.
“However, he knows that at the crucial moment, he failed to steady his nerves, while his opponent, in a more daunting situation, was able to respond resolutely and courageously.”
“It’s hard to believe that recent, bitter memory won’t return to Sinner’s mind, but we can never completely rule out, as is the case with great players, that he will bring out that best version of himself.
“If that hypothetical replay of the final were to happen, we’d have to see how much it would affect the outcome.”
