Djokovic, Nadal Opt for Different Holiday (and Work) Plans

Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal are both on holiday just now. However, that is where the similarity ends.

For family man Djokovic, holiday means a few days at home with his wife and children in Belgrade. Nadal, meanwhile, is sunning himself on his luxury yacht in the Mediterranean as he recovers from a knee injury, with long-time girlfriend Xisca Perelló.

For both men, however, thoughts of tennis will not be far away, particularly their plans for the rest of the season. Having won the last two Grand Slams, Djokovic, in particular, will be feeling a lot of satisfaction, despite having lost the two matches he played in The Laver Cup in Chicago, where Team Europe beat Team World by 13 – 8 to retain the title.

Now he is trying to decide whether to play in the ATP event in Beijing, next week, a tournament he has fond memories of, having won there on five occasions between 2009 and 2015.

Apart from the chance to add a sixth title to his CV and add a few more noughts to his already burgeoning bank balance, the 31-year old Serb, if he does play, has the chance to narrow the gap to Nadal at the top of the world rankings.

With the Spaniard opting to miss both Beijing, and the following event in Shanghai, to which Djokovic has already committed, the Serb, currently only 1,035 points behind Nadal in the world rankings, could end the China season as number one.

For the 32-year old Nadal, meanwhile, his vacation gives him time to recover from the knee injury that he picked up during his US Open semi-final against Juan-Martin Potro.

It is by no means certain that he would participate in the Chinese events anyway. Historically, he has got a poor record of playing in indoor hard court events post Grand Slams, having won just four such events in his career, and none since 2012.

Instead he is likely to concentrate on being ready to play in the Masters in Paris and then the ATP Finals in November, when he could yet be engaged in a fierce tussle with Djokovic to determine who will hold the coveted number one spot going into the winter recess.