It has now been three years since Djokovic was last able to win a major title, lifting an Australian Open, French Open and US Open treble in 2023, and at 38, the star’s time to taste a quarter of a century of victories is fast running out. And now, Nadal has given his own take on whether he sees Djokovic tasting glory on the big stage once more. Speaking at the presentation of a charity golf tournament in Madrid this week, the Spaniard said: “It’s done.

“I don’t think we need to analyse tennis based on who wins. He had an opportunity in Melbourne, and at this stage of his career, to be honest, he doesn’t have that many left, and I think what he’s achieving is admirable.”

Elsewhere, Nadal downplayed a recent online spat with Patrick Mouratoglou, after the French tennis coach ranked both Alcaraz and Sinner above Djokovic. In an Instagram post, Mouratoglou said: “For those who think Djokovic’s win over Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals means the big three plays better tennis than Alcaraz and Sinner: that’s a far too simplistic view.

“Jannik is faster, hits harder, takes the ball earlier, and serves better than Novak. Novak has the strongest mentality in tennis history, and that’s what made the difference. Novak isn’t a better tennis player than Sinner, but he is the greatest competitor in history, and he was better than Jannik Sinner in that match.”

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

In a since-deleted post, Nadal took to the comments section to share a string of laughing emojis and those with a face with a hand over its mouth. However, the 39-year-old retired pro has since cleared the air on what seemed like a spat on the face of things.

He explained: “I don’t see the controversy. I don’t want to generate controversy, but the point is that the analysis of that gentleman is wrong.

“Because it’s as if you analyse today’s [Lionel] Messi with the Messi who played in Barca or the Cristiano Ronaldo who plays today with the one he played in Real Madrid, this is simply my point of view. In the end, everyone makes their own career and I never said that some are better than others, the career of each one will mark who has been better, and all are great ambassadors for our sport.

“And I think we have to be happy to have someone like Novak, who is still up there after so many years on the circuit. Having Carlos is a blessing, because he is a great player who represents us all over the world. And on top of that, he is taking tennis to an incredible level and I think we can only enjoy and appreciate it, that’s all.”