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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been told that there are four players who can beat “anyone” on the biggest stage, including them. Dominic Thiem claimed that the two tennis legends were no longer as dominant as they used to be and face the threat of losing at Grand Slams. The former world No 3 thought that young rivals Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev could upset their continued race to win the most Major titles.
Djokovic and Nadal are currently tied with the men’s singles Grand Slam record, holding 22 titles each. It means they sit just one behind Serena Williams’ Open Era record of 23 and two behind Margaret Court’s all-time haul of 24. And Djokovic himself has already shared his wish to meet the Spaniard in the French Open final to do battle with the Grand Slam race on the line.
But his hopes could be thwarted as old rival Thiem claimed that at least four young players had the ability to beat both of the multi-Grand Slam champions at the biggest events on the calendar. The Austrian had himself been a challenger for Majors and face Djokovic and Nadal in several finals across the Australian and French Open before beating Alexander Zverev to win the 2020 US Open.
And Thiem now believes that Zverev is one of the players who could hurt the tennis icons, as he told Casper Ruud’s Eurosport podcast: “I have the feeling that there are many players now who can beat those two guys.” The 29-year-old was also quick to name Carlos Alcaraz, who won last year’s US Open and became the youngest world No 1 in ATP history as a result.
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“There is, of course, Carlos Alcaraz. I saw the finals at the US Open. I watched the highlights of these finals many times and the level was great, the level was incredible,” the former world No 3 said. He also threw Ruud into the mix, with the 24-year-old reaching two Major finals last year in Paris and New York – losing to Nadal and Alcaraz.
“But I have the feeling that if Casper, if Carlos, are playing at this level, they can also beat Novak and Rafa at the Grand Slam tournaments. No doubt about that,” Thiem continued. Tsitsipas was also named after losing to Djokovic in the recent Australian Open final, two years after the Serb also downed him in the French Open championship match.
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He added: “Then Stefanos obviously, I don’t think he had his best day in the finals of the Australian Open. Sascha [Zverev] is on his way back as well. And yeah, there are definitely four or five guys who can beat anybody in the Grand Slams and that’s what makes it even more exciting.”
But Ruud thought that there could be a showdown between Djokovic and Nadal in the French Open final if both men were fit, with the Spaniard currently recovering from a leg injury. “Roland Garros might be the next tournament where both of them will be 100 per cent fit and ready, and that is going to be a huge tournament for those two and for other players as well,” last year’s runner-up noted.
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