Rafael Nadal: "My most dangerous rival, without a doubt, is Novak Djokovic"

A rivalry that is over 16 years old might soon see another chapter written as Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic gear up for the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin, to be played from November 13 to 20.

In a recent interview with media outlet ge, the Spaniard named the Serb as his biggest and most dangerous rival among active players. The two clear reasons that he cited were their head-to-head rivalry and that Djokovic was the closest to him in terms of Grand Slam titles.

"My greatest rival is Novak Djokovic. After all, he is the one who is closest to the number of Grand Slams, with 21. And for all the times we face each other, for our history. Out of all the active players, my most dangerous rival, without a doubt, is Novak," Rafael Nadal said.

The two legends have faced each other a staggering 59 times on the tour, the most among the male players. Their head-to-head record of 30-29 in favor of the Serb is a testament to the fierce competition. The crazy part is that it's just getting more and more interesting as the two stalwarts are well-poised to fight for the record for the highest number of Grand Slam titles.

The start of the season saw the Big 3 tied with 20 Majors each. As the tennis world prepares to welcome 2023, Nadal currently leads the race with 22 titles, having won the Australian Open and French Open this year. Djokovic, on the other hand, clinched the Wimbledon title to become a 21-time Grand Slam winner.

The eighth-ranked Serb missed out on two Major tournaments in 2022 — the Australian Open and US Open — due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19. It has worked as a motivating factor for him as he has shown in the past couple of months. The 35-year-old won back-to-back titles in Israel and Kazakhstan before losing a close final to Holger Rune at the Paris Masters last week.

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"It's always great news to be playing the last event of the year" - Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal has qualified for the ATP Finals for the 17th time

Rafael Nadal practiced with Taylor Fritz ahead of the ATP Finals on Wednesday. Speaking to the ATP, the Spaniard expressed his excitement to see the fans since it was his first time in Turin. He was happy to have had a successful season because of which he qualified for the tournament.

"It's always great news to be playing the last event of the year. That says that you had a great season, so I'm excited," Nadal said. "Italy is a very close country for me. Being in Turin for the first time in my life, it's a new experience, so I'm very happy for that and I'm looking forward to seeing the stadium and the fans. I'll try my best as always."