When Rafael Nadal called for a press conference to be held at his academy in Majorca yesterday, the tennis world knew that it wasn’t simply going to be a withdrawal from his favourite tournament, Roland Garros. Now, the harsh reality of his situation is there for all to see.
While the tennis world has to start preparing for life after Rafael Nadal from 2025 onwards, the Parisian Major will be mourning the absence of a man synonymous with the tournament in ten days time.
Nadal’s Impact on the Sport
Rarely in sports do numbers alone create enough insight into the stupidity and remarkability of an achievement to those less involved, but what the Spaniard has done at Roland Garros has had far-reaching implications.
Known as the ‘King of Clay,’ Nadal’s status and legacy at the Parisian event is etched into history.
Following 18 consecutive years of appearing at the tournament, with just 3 losses in 115 matches, Nadal has rewritten the history books, and reconstructed perceptions of greatness in the sport. He burst onto the scene as a raw talent at the age of 19, giving us a glimpse into the future at this tournament and across the world.
Fast forward to the present, and he now holds the same number of titles at one Major as the great Pete Sampras achieved across all four Slams. Bearing into mind that Sampras was the Grand Slam record holder in mens singles standing alone at 14, what we have seen Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer do within one era is truly unheard of.
Debating who of those three extraordinaires in this sport is the greatest will always have too many layers to conclude definitively, However, what is without question is that Nadal made Court Philippe Chatrier his second home, and created something that may never be eclipsed again in the history of sport.
His career has not been without its ups and downs. While any 22-time Major champion in sport cannot complain too much about their body, which clearly contributed to their incredible successes, Nadal has managed to achieve this despite suffering multiple potentially career-threatening injuries. Finally at the age of 36, his body has caught up on him.
Nadal’s Warrior-like Mentality Through the Years
What stands out to me almost above anything in his career is his willingness to bounce back from many blows which others may not have been able to cope with. Nadal looked a defeated man physically and emotionally in 2015 at the age of 29.
Many believed Nadal’s confidence issues and continuous physical problems were going to stop him from playing late in his 30s. He was even written off by many people in the sport who believed he could not fight for Major titles again.
2016 saw a resurgent Spaniard. He started to claim the big titles again, before another huge setback. At his beloved tournament in Paris, he pulled out before a third round match with a wrist injury. Many of us will remember the tone of his press conference, where he looked totally deflated and defeated.
Once again, he fought through an arduous rehabilitation programme to return for the Rio Olympics later on in the year, where he partnered up with a long-time friend, Marc Lopez, and won a gold medal in the men’s doubles tournament.
Then came something utterly unthinkable. At the start of 2017, he and his long-time rival, Roger Federer, were on their ways back from long lay-offs. Federer aged 35, and Nadal aged 31, reached the Australian Open final, providing the tennis world with a throwback match which barely anyone expected.
Despite not coming out on top, Nadal showed the world once again that he could compete at the top of the sport. He went on to win 2 majors in the season, including in Paris and at the US Open.
In 2022, Nadal was chasing the Calendar Slam. He had already won in Australia and Paris, and was just 9 wins away from collecting all four Majors in a calendar year. He even won the French Open despite having a completely numb left foot because of multiple pain-killing injections.
However, physical discomfort with his abdominal muscle meant that he had to pull out before his Wimbledon semi-final match with Nick Kyrgios.
The latter part of 2022 was a struggle. Nadal’s health issues kept reappearing. He also became a first-time father to a baby boy during this period. Over the last eight months, he has only won two ATP tour matches.
Six years on from 2017, having added a further eight Majors to his tally, finally it seems that his playing career is coming to an end. There is still the potentially mouthwatering prospect of a lap of the tour in 2024. Nadal intends on playing some of the tournaments which have enhanced his legacy one more time. Of course, he will only play if he feels he can compete for the biggest titles.
Nadal will hope for a more positive ending than Federer’s last year. The Swiss icon hoped to come back one more time on the biggest stages, before his body prevented him from doing so. He had a wonderful send off at the Laver Cup exhibition in London, where he was sat hand-in-hand with Nadal, in emotional scenes. However, it was not the ideal situation for him.
The Spaniard will take some time off to rest in the hope of seeing improvements in his hip and physical condition. If we do see him one more time on the tour, it means he still believes he can win the biggest tournaments in the world. And if he does arrive one more time at Roland Garros, there is every chance we could be looking at a 15-time champion.
