Seen these days in Montenegro in an Orthodox monastery renowned for its miraculous healings, Novak Djokovic may have come to seek his salvation there. Deprived of the Australian Open after twelve days of confusion in mondovision where it was a question of everything except tennis, the Serb saw his hopes of winning a tenth title in Melbourne showered by the Australian justice and the dream of a twenty-one first Grand Slam title to fly away with. And now Rafael Nadal, whom he could overtake on the clock with his other rival Roger Federer, finds himself in a position to grill him.
Sunday, January 30, against the Russian Daniil Medvedev, world No. 2, the Spaniard plays the twenty-ninth Grand Slam final of his career. A journey that no one had seen coming, starting with the person concerned. In early September, he was on crutches, his left foot in plaster. The Mallorcan has suffered since 2005 from Muller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease resulting in necrosis of one of the bones located in the central part of the foot.
This injury, hidden until then somehow, rekindled in the spring of 2021 during Roland-Garros, until it became unbearable. He will end his season during the summer before relying on a last resort treatment.
After five months off the court, a patched foot and a capricious Covid contracted on Christmas Eve, Nadal, who turns 36 in June, logically did not expect to be at the top of his game or his tennis from the start. of the season. “I had the scaphoid broken in two, it’s a problem with no solution. For this season, I have few certainties. I don’t think the conditions for the rest of my career will be perfect.” suited the world No. 5 after his second round in the Rod Laver Arena on January 19. But at the antipodes, the old veteran rejects planned obsolescence.
A physique that always knows how to suffer
Ten days earlier, he had returned to success as soon as he resumed competition by winning at the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne, although without real competition. So he came to the Australian Open with the short term in mind. “I’m in a situation where every day is a new day. My whole team and I had a lot of doubts. Not just about the Australian Open, but about getting back on the circuit. A month and a half ago, I could only train for half an hour a day. So right now I’m enjoying it. »
You have 60.23% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
