What does Rafael Nadal's Australian Open 2024 withdrawal mean for Novak Djokovic?

Rafael Nadal has announced that he will not participate in the 2024 Australian Open. That leaves Novak Djokovic as the only member of the 'Big 3' in the main draw of the Melbourne Slam.

Nadal missed almost the entirety of the 2023 season due to a hip strain and subsequent surgery. He returned to action at the 2024 Brisbane International and looked like his former best self in the initial rounds. The 37-year-old wildcard downed Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler in straight sets before losing to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinal.

During that loss, Nadal suffered a minor inconvenience in his upper left leg and, upon further examination, learned that he had sustained a micro tear on a muscle. That forced him to return to Spain for rehab, thus bringing his comeback to a halt.

Nadal had entered the main draw of the 2024 Australian Open via protected ranking, and his fans were looking forward to seeing him in action in Melbourne. While his absence will undoubtedly impact the fans, the players - including Novak Djokovic - are not likely to see much of a change to their chances in Melbourne.

Djokovic is the defending champion and the No. 1 seed at the 2024 Australian Open, and the Serb would be preoccupied with many factors other than Nadal. And while the Spaniard was considered one of the dark horses for the year's first Grand Slam, there are several top-ranked players to watch out for this season.

Novak Djokovic would likely be more wary of the challenge that Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner present. The Serb would also have an eye on other players who performed well at the recently concluded United Cup.

Alex de Minaur ended Djokovic's 43-match winning run in Australia. Alexander Zverev was the hero for the eventual champions, Germany, and the player of the tournament.

Though he performed well in Brisbane, Nadal was not tested by any player who will be seeded in Melbourne. Moreover, the 37-year-old had made it clear from the beginning that he was not aiming to win the title and instead was hoping to play one match at a time.

While it would have been one of the stories of the year to see a clash between Djokovic and Nadal at the Australian Open, the latter's withdrawal will not have much impact on the 24-time Grand Slam champion's chances of emerging victorious.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have played each other in two Australian Open finals

Novak Djokovic pictured at 2019 Australian Open

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have played against each other 59 times on the ATP Tour, and two of those meetings came in Australian Open finals.

The two legends first competed for the title in 2012. Djokovic, the No. 1 seed, defeated the likes of Llyeton Hewitt, David Ferrer and Andy Murray before he bettered the Spaniard in the summit clash 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5.

The duo locked horns for the title again in 2019, and that time too the Serb emerged victorious, by a scoreline of 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Currently a 10-time Australian Open champion, Djokovic had ousted Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Daniil Medvedev, Kei Nishikori, and Lucas Pouille that year.