Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal share an incredible 43 Grand Slam titles between them - but old rival Andy Roddick is in doubt over who is more likely to add to their tally.
Djokovic ended a tumultuous year with a sixth ATP Finals victory and could dominate the sport next year as he aims to eclipse Nadal's collection of 22 Grand Slam crowns.
The Serbian legend's 21st Grand Slam win came at Wimbledon in July, but he was unable to take part at the Australian Open or US Open due to his covid-19 vaccination status. Meanwhile, Nadal won his 14th French Open before multiple injury setbacks derailed the end of his season.
Former world no.1 Roddick used to battle the iconic duo at major tournaments, and is adamant that Djokovic is in better shape to claim the biggest honours in tennis in 2023. Roddick believes Djokovic's exemplary physical condition gives him a crucial edge over his great rival Nadal.
"Novak Djokovic's discipline will never cease to amaze me," the American legend said. "His body does not look like the typical body of a player who is at the end of the race. Look at his elasticity, he has lost nothing with advancing age. In some ways, he has even improved compared to 7-8 years ago.
"You will not find a fan of Rafa bigger than me, but he is a very different player compared to five years ago. Physical problems forced him to change his game. He has to take more risks and shorten trades, which increases the number of ups and downs.
"He is not able to play with the usual punch without paying the bill from a physical point of view. Unlike Nadal, Djokovic is still able to rely on his body regardless of the type of strategy."
Nadal's Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz ended the season as youngest ever year-end no.1 after a meteoric rise up the rankings. But Roddick insists that no.5 Djokovic is still the man to beat, despite an unprecedented year of disruption.
"As we look forward to next year I still think you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't think Novak Djokovic is the best player in the world,” Roddick said on the Tennis channel.
“But the No. 1 rank for Alcaraz is well deserved, he was unbelievable to watch this year. I wish so badly he was in Turin mixing it up this week with this group of phenomenal players but we want health and he has a long career ahead of himself.
“Hopefully he comes back healthy and ready, and I can’t wait to see him match up with Rafa [Nadal], Novak and the guys that are going to try to claim that territory for as long as they can. What a gift to the game Alcaraz has been.”
