ATP legend Claudio Pistolesi admits it’s “incredible to see” Rafael Nadal play at 38 than Roger Federer at 40

While Federer retired from the sport in 2022, Nadal is widely considered to be in the final season of his professional career.

ATP legend Claudio Pistolesi admits it’s “incredible to see” Rafael Nadal play at 38 than Roger Federer at 40

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Claudio Pistolesi (Image via Imago)

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer were the two best players of their generation and by far two of the greatest players in the history of the sport. That said, former Italian player Claudio Pistolesi has opined that it’s more incredible to see Nadal playing the sport at the age of 38 than it was to see Federer compete at 40 years old.

Federer played professional tennis for 24 years, retiring at the age of 41 in 2022. He won 103 ATP titles, including 20 Grand Slams and 28 Masters 1000 titles. On the other hand, Nadal is 38 and in his widely considered to be in the final season of his career. The Spaniard has won 97 titles, including 22 Grand Slams.

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The last time Roger Federer won a major title was in 2018, four years before his retirement. He underwent a series of surgeries in 2020 and 2021 on his knee. Though he played till he was 41 years old, his game had diminished and he found himself getting beaten by youngsters.

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Nadal won his last Major in 2022 and didn’t play much in 2023 due to injury. It has been the same this season, where he has only competed a handful of times and is yet to get past the quarterfinals at any tournament.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

Former Italian pro Pistolesi believes that it is more fascinating to see Nadal play at the age of 38 owing to the physical nature of his game.

Everyone is different, Nadal has always listened to his body and continues to do so. It’s his body that decides. It’s incredible that Nadal, at 38, is still on the court, even more than Federer at 40, precisely because of his type of game. I talk about it in my second book. I analyze how Federer, Nadal and Djokovic managed to last and win so much. It’s a question of mentality, the three are different.

Claudio Pistolesi said (via fanpage.it)

While Federer has embraced retirement, Nadal is currently training hard ahead of the Paris Olympics next month.

Rafael Nadal eyes Paris Olympics while also expanding business empire

Besides training hard for the Paris Olympics, Rafael Nadal has also devoted time to work on his business interests. He recently opened a Rafael Nadal sports center in Albania. The project comes at the tail end of his career after the Spaniard announced that he would hang up his boots sometime this year.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via Imago)

Before that, however, he will represent his country at the Olympics, which are scheduled to get underway on July 27. The Spanish team’s captain David Ferrer confirmed that Nadal will be partnering with Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s doubles at the Summer Games.

Before heading to France, Nadal is expected to compete at the Nordea ATP 250 event in Bastad, where he will try to build some form and regain his confidence level ahead of the quadrennial event.

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