RIYADH: Novak Djokovic warned Wednesday he expects great rival Rafael Nadal is returning “to win a Grand Slam, not just to play” as the world number one prepares to defend his Australian Open title next month.

Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, makes his comeback after a near year-long injury absence at the Australian Open warm-up event in Brisbane starting Sunday.

He twice needed surgery after struggling with a hip injury and has slipped to 670th in the world rankings while sidelined.

The 37-year-old Nadal has said that 2024 could be his final season without being able to “guarantee it 100 percent”.

But Djokovic, 36, who won three Grand Slams in 2023 to overtake the Spaniard with a record 24, expects his rival to be as competitive as ever.

“I always expect him (Nadal) to play at his best, to be honest. Many times they’ve signed him out, they’ve done that with me as well. But we’ve proved them wrong,” Djokovic told journalists on the sidelines of an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Riyadh.

“He’s not a kind of a player that will come back to the tour just to play — let’s say — on a medium level, play a few matches,” continued Djokovic.

“He wants to win titles, he wants to be the best, that’s why he is who he is: a legend of our sport. I’m sure that his training and preparation is done with an intention to win a Grand Slam.”

Meanwhile, Djokovic himself has no plans to hang up his racket any time soon and is hoping he might be able to emulate American football great Tom Brady by extending his career well past his 40th birthday.

“Tom Brady is a great example of a champion in his sport and someone that has had such a great career and longevity,” the 24-times Grand Slam champion told reporters in the Saudi capital.

“He has put a lot of hours and a lot of time into self-care, into recovery, into making sure that in a way every aspect of his body and mind is covered so that he can have a long-lasting, successful career.

“I know him personally and I learned a lot from him, from his example, and hopefully I can have a career that goes up to 40 or maybe even beyond — let’s see.”

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2023