Rafael Nadal found himself in the greatest conversation of all time (GOAT) alongside Novak Djokovic with his extraordinary triumph at the Australian Open, according to Eurosport experts Tim Henman and Mats Wilander.

The pre-tournament chatter was fixed on Djokovic as his No. 21 Grand Slam bid was delayed by a battle to compete unvaccinated. Meanwhile, Nadal landed in Melbourne with the same goal but with seemingly little hope after enduring an injury nightmare.

Djokovic was eventually deported on the eve of the tournament after a protracted case saw his initial visa canceled despite a medical exemption, re-approved by a judge and then revoked again by Australia’s immigration minister.

Henman believes it was Nadal’s unwavering belief that led him to the men’s record 21st major title.

“With no disrespect to Djokovic, it’s about Nadal. Nadal hasn’t been in this conversation for so long because he’s injured,” Henman said in The Cube.

“We really didn’t understand or know how his foot was going to be and then he got Covid, he had more complications.

“So to finally arrive in Melbourne without having played tennis, he’s playing the first week of the year and you think, ‘OK, he’s got a few games under his belt’ – but those were just best-of-three sets. .

“He just created that momentum and for me the key word was belief. We all wondered and doubted that he could do it, but he was the one who believed in his own abilities.

The Spaniard had not played a competitive tournament for five months before landing in Melbourne for the opening Grand Slam of 2022.

The chronic problem with his left foot ruled him out of Wimbledon, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the US Open. He said it was so bad that there were days when he could only train for 20 minutes.

Wilander has admitted he squandered Nadal’s chances of ending his career with the most Grand Slams for men.

“I have to say I thought he lost the race when he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros semi-finals last year,” he said.

“That was it, I said to myself: ‘Nadal is out of the race. He won’t be able to. Maybe he wins another Frenchman, but probably not, and he won’t win the other tournaments. And suddenly we are there. It’s amazing.”

Nadal now leads Djokovic and Roger Federer in the all-time rankings, with his two rivals on 20 major titles. While Djokovic is expected to compete for more, Federer’s hopes of expanding his collection look much dimmer as he defends himself from a lingering injury.

The next Grand Slam is the French Open, which Nadal has won 13 times. Nadal is also only the second man in the open era to win every major twice, joining Djokovic.

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