"Not fair to Nadal" - Tennis commentator Brian Clark disagrees with Novak Djokovic's absence putting an 'asterisk' next to Spaniard's Australian Open 2022 win

Putting an asterisk next to Rafael Nadal's memorable 2022 Australian Open title victory due to Novak Djokovic's absence is unfair to the Spanish great, believes leading ATP commentator Brian Clark. Nadal became the first man in history to win 21 Grand Slam singles titles by clinching this year's Australian Open, which was initially dominated by Djokovic's deportation saga.

Nadal won the final against Daniil Medvedev, coming back from two sets down in what was one of his greatest comebacks. In the aftermath of the tournament, some suggested that Nadal's victory will always have an 'asterisk' next to it as he did not have to compete against nine-time Australian Open champion Djokovic for the title.

Clark believes the claim is unfair to Nadal as he could only beat the players in front of him at the season's first Grand Slam tournament and suggested that the Spaniard's victory should not be questioned. Clark spoke about the same during a chat with host Marc Sterne on 'Courtside: The US Open Podcast.'

"People will put an asterisk next to Nadal winning the Australian Open because Djokovic has made that his personal tournament...I think not fair to Nadal because he can only play who is in front of him and he beat everybody in front of him," Brian Clark said.

Nadal returned from a six-month layoff and played the Australian hardcourt swing, beating the likes of Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov, Matteo Berrettini, and Medvedev en route to the Australian Open title.

In light of the Australian Open debate, Clark believes that Djokovic's participation in the upcoming 2022 ATP Finals is good news for the sport as all the best players in the world will face off for the big prize.

"I think just having him (Djokovic) at the ATP Finals, where you have the best of the best, is a good thing," Clark said.

Clark also highlighted that a major concern for the Serbian great going into the 2023 season will be whether coronavirus-related rules and regulations will be relaxed enough across the world to enable him to participate in most of the important events on the tour.

"It's just now what's the new Djokovic season where there are these stops and starts. I think a big question going into 2023 is can we see him more on the tour as regulations and rules get relaxed?" Clark added.

Leading tennis commentator Brian Clark believes Novak Djokovic will make a run for another big all-time record

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Brian Clark, who is also a US Open radio host, believes Novak Djokovic has a great chance to break the record for most ATP titles won by a player. The record is currently held by American tennis legend Jimmy Connors, who won 109 career titles on tour. Clark believes that the Serb, who currently has 90 titles, will aim to break Connors' record and his attempt to do so will be "the story to watch" over the next few years.

"Let's see how much longer he plays, he'll be 36 in the spring. I think the story to watch over the next few years is going to be the run towards that title," Clark said.

The 35-year-old won his 89th and 90th titles at the Tel Aviv Open and Astana Open, respectively, in back-to-back weeks. He is the defending champion at the Paris Masters, which is his next tournament this season. He has also won the ATP Finals five times so far, but not since 2015.