The top two players of the world - Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be eying history in 2021 as they look to break two of tennis’s most prominent accomplishments. Both of them will be looking to break records set by the Swiss maestro Roger Federer, but it will be easier said than done - the next-gen players pose a definite threat.

Nadal hunting his 21st Grand Slam

2020 was a remarkable year for World No. 2 as he won the French Open for a brilliant 13th time. He beat none other than Djokovic in the final in straight sets, who himself had reached the final 2 at Roland Garros for the first time since 2016.

With that, the Spaniard equalled Federer’s record of 20 majors, and with one more, he establishes himself as one of the very best in the sport.

However, it is quite likely to come as a challenge for him - he can certainly fancy his chances in his favoured Slam this season. Still, the 34-year-old will need to be careful of the threat possessed by youngsters like Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem, along with his Serbian foe Djokovic.

In all likelihood, online tennis betting sites will still peg Nadal as the favourite to win the major in Paris, but the dynamics can soon change. With that, he will also look to bounce back to the No. 1 position, as he trails behind Djokovic by a couple of thousand points. In layman’s terms, he will need to win majors and ATP 1000 Masters titles to reach the top.

Djokovic likely to make history

As things stand, Novak Djokovic has spent a gigantic 302 weeks as the No. 1 player on ATP Singles Ranking. He achieved this feat only in late December when he surpassed Pete Sampras’ 286 and will look to break Federer’s 310.

Now, looking at it objectively, it should not be that difficult. The Serbian is in a remarkable form with two Masters titles and the Australian Open crown from 2020. Of course, he was also the runner-up at the Roland Garros, which only added further to his ranking points.

To put it differently, he has time ahead of him to achieve this feat. With no immediate threat, he can look to add more titles to his hat and reach the magic number of 311. Even if he does loses the position, he can very well stage a comeback. He did so back in 2014 and 2018 and may very well do so again if the situation arises.

The young guns are rising

That said, all of this greatly depends on how the big ones and the others fair in the 2021 season. The Australian Open, while set to take place in February, will definitely follow strict quarantine protocols. It will be a test at a mental level and will require a lot of effort on all ends.

When the US Open took place in 2020 amidst an entirely different atmosphere - it was the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Denis Shapovalov, and others who thrived. In fact, Medvedev moved on to win the year-end Paris Masters and ATP Finals, beating Zverev and Thiem in the respective finals.

Needless to say, the warning shots have been fired - will Nadal and Djokovic defend and protect their legacies, or is 2021 finally the season where the tide finally turns around? Whatever may be the case, it should be an interesting one to follow.