Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev both snubbed as Novak Djokovic set to frustrate both | Tennis | Sport

Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev could be set to take a backseat this season and watch Novak Djokovic taste success. More than 4,000 Express Sport readers had their say, questioning whether both men would have success with Grand Slam titles and the rankings while Djokovic would dominate.

Nadal and Medvedev have both experienced completely different seasons but both men have been snubbed when it comes to achieving the pinnacle of the sport. The Spaniard has been sidelined with an injury since January, most recently withdrawing from next week’s Monte Carlo Masters to delay his comeback.

And with his increasing injury woes, 89 per cent of Express Sport readers voted that he would never return to No 1 in the rankings again, despite spending a total of 209 weeks at the top – most recently in 2020. Meanwhile, the majority also thought that Medvedev would be unable to win a Major this year despite his strong start to 2023.

Although he suffered an early third-round exit at the Aussie Open and dropped out of the top 10, the 27-year-old has had a complete U-turn and only lost one match since. Medvedev reached five finals in five successive tournaments with no break between each event – the first man to do so since Ivan Lendl in 1981.

Medvedev won three titles in three weeks across Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. He then reached his maiden Indian Wells final and lost to Carlos Alcaraz before bouncing back to win Miami. He is also the only man this year to beat Djokovic, winning their Dubai semi-final clash.

But 63 per cent of Express Sport readers believe the 19-time title winner won’t be able to add another Grand Slam trophy to his cabinet in 2023. In comparison, Djokovic started the year by winning the Australian Open and was tipped to win more Majors than current world No 2 Alcaraz by 55 per cent.

Medvedev already has one Grand Slam title to his name, winning the 2021 US Open by defeating Djokovic in the final. And the world No 4 has already won as many titles so far this season as he did in 2021 overall with four, serving as a promising trajectory for the rest of 2023.