Djokovic expects Nadal to fight for Grand Slams again

Novak Djokovic warned on 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 on Sunday.

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."