Rafael Nadal has 21 Grand slam titles whereas Novak Djokovic has clinched 20 major titles. Who will end his career with the most titles in Men’s Tennis, is the question everybody has on their minds. Renowned Tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes the upcoming Roland Garros will hold the key this season between these two heavyweights.

Djokovic was on song in the previous season as he won three Grand slam titles and had a 27-0 record before losing the US Open final against Daniil Medvedev. The Serbian was a favorite for the Australian Open but could not participate as he was unvaccinated against Covid-19.

On the other hand, Rafael Nadal made a comeback for the ages after recovering from a foot injury. Nadal won the Australian Open to send a strong message that he isn’t done yet and there is a lot of fuel left in his tank. The Spaniard had a 20-0 start to the season before losing to Taylor Fritz in Indian Wells final.

However, Nadal suffered a stress fracture in his rib, which ruled him out of action for four to six weeks. Thus, the Spaniard will recover just before Roland Garros and it will hamper his preparation.

Patrick feels it puts the race between two legends in the balance after Nadal’s injury as Djokovic hasn’t played a lot due to his vaccination saga.  Thus, whosoever goes all the way in the French Open, could have a better chance of finishing with most titles.

In a social media post, Mouratoglou said “I think the clay season’s going to be unbelievable! There’s so much on the line. “If it’s Rafa, he has two Grand Slams more than Novak. If it’s Novak, they go equal and Novak has a better chance than Rafa on grass. This battle between those two for the number of Grand Slam titles is unbelievable. So Roland Garros can be a key in this season.

“Novak has the lead for me. He’s winning more Grand Slams than anyone every year, so he’s the huge favourite to win more Grand Slams than anyone. “But, because of Covid he wasn’t able to play most of the year, so he’s lacking matches. On the other hand, Rafa gained so much confidence because as Novak wasn’t playing he won almost everything.

“You had Novak who had a big advantage and with what happened, Rafa had the edge. But then Rafa gets injured so he’s not going to be able to play enough this year. And then it comes back to a balance.

“Is Novak going to be able to win everything until Rafa comes back from his injury? That would be a game-changer because then you’d have Novak with full confidence back,” the Frenchman questioned. “So this is a key, what’s going to happen in the next weeks with Novak will give us a taste of the chances of Novak and Rafa in Roland Garros.”

“I think for Rafa it’s going to be tough. The fact he cannot play many tournaments before Roland Garros is going to be a big hurdle. “If you think about Roland Garros now, it’s the most open [it’s been] for the last 10 to 15 years,” he claimed.

“If Novak is able to win a lot between the start of the clay season and Roland Garros, then it won’t be that open because when Novak is at his top, even on clay, I think he’s the best player in the world.”