Nadal was much more than a claycourt bully, though. He spent more than 900 successive weeks from 2005 in the ATP's top 10, 209 of them at number one and at the age of 24 became the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.
Novak Djokovic vanquished Andy Murray for the fourth time in an Australian Open final on Sunday to win a record-equalling sixth title and serve notice to his rivals that he could surpass even his stellar 2015 this year.
Novak Djokovic has offered financial support and any other help required to Ukrainian former world number 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky, who has enlisted in his country's reserve army amid Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
Novak Djokovic's ability to play his best tennis under pressure can help him win at least five more Grand Slam titles, John McEnroe said after the World No.1 tied Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's record with his 20th major at Wimbledon on Sunday.
While proof of vaccination is not required to enter France or any sporting event in the country, French tennis federation (FFT) president Gilles Moretton warned that things could change before the tournament starts on May 22.
Alexander Zverev overcame late nerves to beat world number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday and set up a final showdown with Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals.
The winners of the Serbia-Germany tie will join Spain, Russia and Italy in the semi-finals.
Djokovic remained unflustered despite dropping the opening set and suffering several tumbles on the greasy surface.
Novak Djokovic recovered his poise to win the Rome Masters title and Wilander says Djokovic will use the pain of his US debacle to inflict maximum damage on the Parisian clay.
Tiley denies reports Djokovic will sue Tennis Australia
After a dominant start, Djokovic struggled in the second set and lost his temper even after closing it out.
The elbow injury sidelined him for six months after he was forced to retire at the quarter-finals of Wimbledon last year. He underwent a surgery for the same in February.
With Sunday's win, the world number one took his Grand Slam tally to 18, just two shy of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's men's record of 20.
Officials said he was one of a 'handful' of successful applicants among 26 people who sought exemptions.
Novak Djokovic's run of 17 successive Tour finals came to a grinding halt when he was forced out of the Dubai Open on Thursday.
Alcaraz's hero Rafael Nadal, who won two Wimbledons and once beat Roger Federer in five sets once said Alcaraz's victory over Djokovic felt similar.
While the announcement prompted outcry in Australia, pot-shots were taken at Djokovic on the internet as the saga fuelled a string of memes. Here are some that brought on more than a few chuckles...
Novak Djokovic is aware of Kei Nishikori's battling qualities having lost twice to the Japanese in 17 career meetings.
'Honestly, I think he can overtake them, but I wouldn't like to say that for sure. The race is on'
Rafael Nadal said he feels sorry for Novak Djokovic after the world number one was denied entry into Australia but added that the Serb knew for months he could potentially face problems if he arrived without being vaccinated against COVID-19.
Australian authorities scrambled on Sunday to file a legal defence of their decision to bar entry to tennis world number one Novak Djokovic over his COVID-19 vaccination status, as the Serbian superstar spent his fourth day in immigration detention.
Italy's Sinner and Spain's Alcaraz have won two Grand Slams each this year, with Alcaraz beating Sinner in closely fought clashes at the French Open semi-finals and the China Open final.
Novak Djokovic deserves a "little star" next to his name for a spectacular 2015 season that saw him win three grand slams among his 11 titles but the men's game is not simply a matter of the Serb versus the rest, Roger Federer said.
Three-time US Open champion Djokovic, who comes into the tournament having won his fifth Wimbledon title, is followed in the seedings by 2017 winner Rafael Nadal.
Gael Monfils let Novak Djokovic know his honeymoon was over and it was time to get back to work by forcing the world number one to battle for a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) second round win at the Rogers Cup on Wednesday.
German youngster Alexander Zverev pulled off the biggest win of his career on Sunday when he beat world number two Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the Italian Open on Sunday.
Osaka will play Jennifer Brady for the title.
Tributes poured in after Federer's announcement and Djokovic heaped more praise on the player he shared an enduring rivalry with during his own rise to the top of the men's game.
Serbia's world number one Novak Djokovic will return to Davis Cup action after a season's absence when he leads his country against Croatia in the first round in March, he said on Wednesday.
World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz fended off in-form American Tommy Paul to reach the Cincinnati Open quarter-finals on Thursday
Sunil Gavaskar feels a subtle adjustment to his batting stance in the second innings of the Perth Test helped Virat Kohli rediscover his batting form.
This happened when both players were locked at 2-2 in the second set and Djokovic seemed to have enjoyed the unscheduled break...
Nadal, bidding for a record-extending 14th French Open title, won the first five games of the match as he looked on course to repeat his drubbing of the Serb in last year's final.
Some 25,000-30,000 fans will be admitted to Melbourne Park on each day of the Grand Slam and Novak Djokovic got a taste of what was to come when he played an exhibition match in Adelaide after coming out of quarantine on Friday.
Novak Djokovic endured a fierce challenge to his Melbourne Park reign before overhauling Dominic Thiem 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday to clinch an eighth Australian Open crown and reclaim the world number one ranking. He captured the decisive break in the third game of the final set, then held firm as Thiem made desperate assaults on his serve. Going for broke in a nerve-shredding final game, the fifth seeded Austrian went for the lines but missed twice to hand Djokovic one of his most hard-earnt triumphs.
The former world number one said he had an honest conversation with Djokovic before taking up the coaching role between the end of 2013 and 2016.
Novak Djokovic had his neck taped during the match on Court Philippe Chatrier and his movements seemed somewhat restricted
Another day, another milestone reached for Novak Djokovic as he racked up Grand Slam victory number 350.
Djokovic received severe backlash for organising the tournament with an audience amid the pandemic.
So Djokovic will certainly not be letting his guard slip when he plays American Denis Kudla on Friday.
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