When fans talk about Nadal’ AO 22 win there is very little respect because he ‘stole’ it from djokovic and would have virtually no chance to win if Djokovic played.
But Djokovics RG 23 win has no such claims about it. I’ve actually seen some fans even say it Nadal played djokovic would’ve bageled him…
Novak was the first person to congratulate Rafa after he won AO22. Rafa won the AO fair and square and it’s not on him who’s in the draw and who’s missing from it. He can only play his opponent on the day. The fans that say that Novak would’ve won the AO title are still living in the coulda woulda and shoulda land. They need to move on, just like Novak has already done.
Rafa is King of.Clay especially at Roland Garros. He’s also beaten Novak there 6 times. That being said, Novak has defeated Rafa at RG twice in the past: 2015 and 2021. But it’s a moot point, because Rafa was injured in 2023 and didn’t compete at the tournament.