Nor will 2020 be another year in Rafael Nadal's long history in the elite. This one that has just started has a different component from all the others, insofar as it offers you the opportunity to reach Roger Federer's 20 greats and even be left alone at the top of the most valuable taxonomy in the world of tennis . You know: Federer, 20; Nadal, 19; Djokovic, 16. Behind, among all retired players, is Pete Sampras , with 14.

With his victory against Daniil Medvedev in the formidable final of the United States Open, Nadal envied stronger than ever to meddle in the sacred place that history seemed to have reserved for the Swiss, along with who has been starring in one of the most beautiful rivalries of the sport . Nadal is already here, to a single major of Federer, with the Australian Open, which starts on the 20th, as the first bullet in the holster of both, but also of Djokovic, heptacampeón and defender of the title in Melbourne, and of whom He dares to proclaim the revolution among the still tender litter of relay applicants.

The different measuring rods invite the left-hander to an optimistic perspective. In addition to winning in New York, last year he won his twelfth title at Roland Garros, a fief that has become almost impregnable since he first stepped on it. Federer, on the other hand, won the last of his majors in 2018, in Melbourne, after knocking Nadal down for the first time in a tournament of this category in about a decade. At 38, five more than his rival, the horizon of the Swiss in the greats is presumed uncertain. He had an extraordinary opportunity to open a major gap in the Wimbledon final, but did not make the two match balls he had against Djokovic profitable. The weight of that trauma, shared by a good part of the All England Club's stands, can haunt him during the seasons he is still active. Hopefully you can expand your presence on the courts as much as possible, to the delight of the fans, which will take a long time to find a proposal of these characteristics.

Safe from injuries

Given the demands that can be made at each season that starts, Nadal usually refers to the priority of being healthy and being able to compete. It is not a trivial matter in a man accustomed to dealing with severe physical setbacks. If it is good, as in much of the past year, it has always revealed itself capable of fighting for everything. A year after retiring for a new knee injury in the semifinals of the US Open when he lost to Juan Martín del Potro, he won the title for the fourth time, in a convincing hard track tour in which he also took his second Cup in Cincinnati. He arrived just at the ATPFinals, after a slight abdominal break that forced him to retire before playing the Paris-Bercy semifinals, and could not overcome the group stage despite winning two of his three games.

Without losing the absolute reference of the race undertaken in the greats, the tournament that will gather, for the last time in London, from November 15 to 22, to the best eight of the season, remains the only important one that is still denied leader in the harvest of Masters 1000, with 35, double Olympic gold and five-time Davis Cup champion. Its roof in the ATPFinals is in the finals of 2010 (Federer) and 2013 (Djokovic).

Regardless of what happens in Australia, where he was champion in 2009 and played the finals in 2012 (Djokovic), 2014 ( Wawrinka ) and 2017 (again before the Serbian), the core moment of his season refers to the clay, where you lay the foundations of your highest authority. Unless unforeseen, Roland Garros, from May 24 to June 26, will once again have the undisputed favorite in Nadal. With 12 titles and only two defeats since the debut in 2004, Paris is also the capital place on which to base the hope of rising above Federer at the head of the Grand Slam champions. Before, he will slide his feet through Monte Carlo (12 titles), from April 12 to 19; Barcelona (many others), from 20 to 26 of the same month; Madrid, from May 3 to 10 (five titles) and Rome, from 10 to 17 of the same month (nine cups).

Djokovic, on the prowl

With Djokovic stalking, from the beginning of the season he will start defending the world number 1. The new ATP Cup, an alternative version to the renewed Davis Cup, which starts today, will put the first points at stake. But it will be in Melbourne, with the Balkan defending 2,000 points and 1,200 Nadal, where positions are defined. It is, in any case, a residual struggle for both, who have already managed to close five seasons at the top. Nadal has been the most veteran tennis player to achieve it.

The so-called Big Three continues in dance only in search of the most exclusive conquests. Nadal has also managed to rationalize his presence on the track with the aim of expanding his career. It is a tendency shared by those who remain their two great adversaries. Noted the dates of the Australian Open and Roland Garros, do not forget Wimbledon, from June 29 to July 12, or the US Open, from August 24 to September 13. History may have been rewritten by then.

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