Rafael Nadal has not played since losing to Mackenzie McDonald of the US at the Australian Open in January. Photo: Getty Images/Will Murray
As one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the sport, Rafael Nadal has repeatedly challenged naysayers, myself included, who prematurely gave his career timing.
But now, no doubt Nadal is approaching the final curtain.
On Thursday, Nadal announced that he will miss the Mutua Madrid Open next week. Even if there were no further details, this would already represent a disturbing turn of events, greatly reducing his chances of securing the title of the 15th French Open in early June.
Much more disturbing, however, was Nadal's accompanying social media post. As he explained, due to a psoas (hip flexor) injury he suffered in January, he was initially expected to be unable to compete for six to eight weeks. However, we are now three months old and counting.
“The injury still hasn’t healed,” Nadal wrote, “and I can’t figure out what I need to do to compete. I've been training, but a few days ago we decided to change course a bit, do another treatment and see if things get better.”
The tone of the post was decidedly grim. Nadal has gone through countless rehab sessions over the years, fueled by his love of the sport. But at the end of last season, for the first time, he began to sound like his appetite was gone.
He'll be 37 in six weeks, and he's accumulated so much mileage that different parts of his body take turns packing. Yes, Nadal may have overcome his chronic foot ailment last summer thanks to an «ablation» procedure that lulled the unfortunate nerve. But then he tore his abdominal muscle at his next tournament, which turned out to be Wimbledon.
Nadal's emotional press conference the next day, in which he stated that he was «very sad» that he was forced to withdraw from the competitions. the scheduled semi-final against Nick Kyrgios could be his last appearance as a Wimbledon player.
Looking back, Nadal should have left the stage at the peak of his powers. With a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Kasper Ruud in last year's French Open final, he should have waved to the fans and said, «Thank you all, but that's up to you.»
Throughout the French Open, Spanish newspapers were full of rumors that Nadal might pull out after the tournament. But maybe he got a little greedy — and who can blame him, given how incredible he was at that stage? Nadal left Paris with 30 wins in 33 matches of the season, including the first two majors, making him a theoretical contender for the calendar helmet. /> Have last year's efforts caught up with Nadal? Credit: Shutterstock/James Ross
As the old saying goes, «Man plans, God laughs.» The first week of Wimbledon went relatively smoothly, only for Nadal to pull that ill-fated belly during a fourth-round bout with Taylor Fritz. He made it to the finish line anyway, but the aftermath of the injury haunted him for the rest of the season, draining his penetration from his serve.
Nadal made 14 appearances after Wimbledon and only won five of them. Statistically, this is the worst sequence of his professional career. And that's before you add in all the physical and emotional pain that caused him to be «mentally destroyed» — in his own words — after he limped to an early exit at the Australian Open in January.
So we're back. to Nadal's pathetic social media post. «I can't give a timeline,» wrote Nadal, who also recorded the video in Spanish. “If I knew, I would tell you, but I don't. That's how things are now.
«I have no other choice but to try to keep the right attitude throughout this time, try to give myself the opportunity to participate in one of the tournaments left from the clay season … I have no no choice but to work and have the right mentality. .”
Nadal's physical deterioration leaves the stage clear for Novak Djokovic to claim the undisputed lead in the Grand Slam race. Currently, Roger Federer has finished with 20 major titles, while Nadal and Djokovic have 22 each. But the dominant nature of Djokovic's performance at the Australian Open, where he only lost one set despite a torn hamstring, suggests he should start every Major this year as the clear favourite.
Admittedly, Djokovic has been wearing a bandage on his right elbow for the past few days and has been working on a three-set win over world No. 87 Luca Van Assche in his best last match on Wednesday. But then he said that «The elbow is fine, it lasts more than two and a half hours … I am healthy and thirsty for new victories.»
Considering that Federer retired, Nadal is running out, and Andy Murray is already six age doesn't matter, Djokovic should feel like he has the tennis world in the palm of his hand.
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