Djokovic and Nadal backed for Australian Open as Messi comparison made

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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have been backed as the favourites for next month’s Australian Open as British No 2 Dan Evans compared their longevity to Lionel Messi’s ahead of his World Cup win with Argentina. Evans said Djokovic was “like a 14-year-old” after a chance meeting between the pair in the gym, as he predicted the world No 5 to win a record 10th Aussie Open crown.

With the Australian Open now less than a month away, Evans has looked ahead to the first Major of 2023 and admitted that it would be unlikely for a new Grand Slam champion to emerge. The world No 27 claimed that Djokovic was the favourite in Melbourne Park, with defending champion Nadal a second pick behind the Serb as he touched on their ability to compete at the top of the game in their mid-thirties.

It comes after the Brit ended up in the gym with Djokovic at the Puente Romano club in Marbella recently, and witnessed the 21-time Grand Slam champion training. “Novak was around and I saw him in the gym a bit and had a couple of chats with him,” Evans told the Daily Mail.

“When you look at him in the gym, he looks like a gymnast – the way he stretches it’s like watching a 14 year-old. So if his body doesn’t break down he has to be in a great position.” With Djokovic allowed to compete in Australia next month after he was deported from the county on the eve of the tournament in 2022, Evans thinks the 35-year-old will be even more motivated this time around.

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The 32-year-old continued: “He had just got confirmation that he can go to Australia and he is pretty pumped about it. When you look at how he finished the year, and his ranking with how little he played compared to others, he is definitely the favourite for Australia and Nadal is probably second favourite.

“I reckon Novak still believes he is the best by miles and his game looks as sure as ever.” And the Birmingham native compared the Grand Slam-winning duo of Djokovic and Nadal to Messi, as he admitted that getting older wasn’t as significant for athletes anymore.

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“Novak and Rafa are in their mid-thirties but sport is changing,” he explained. “You look at Messi in recent weeks and someone like Olivier Giroud. Then you look at someone like Andy (Murray) and what he is doing with a metal hip. 35 really isn’t such a big thing these days.”

Evans’ comments came ahead of the World Cup final, which saw Argentina defeat France on penalties. But the British No 2 admitted that he had been rooting against Argentina, with his coach and support team all hailing from the country. “I work with three of them, and I can’t take any more of hearing about Messi, so I’m definitely rooting for France in the final,” he confessed.

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