“At this age, it takes even longer to get back,” Boris Becker believes Rafael Nadal’s ‘days are numbered’ after injury forced Australian Open exit
Former World No. 1 Boris Becker acknowledges the Spaniard as the one who changed the game while pointing his inevitable retirement.
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Boris Becker, Rafael Nadal
Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal’s exit from the Australian Open is the biggest news coming out of Melbourne yet. The news is not just about his failure to defend the title or to lose so early in the tournament against a relatively unknown American in the tennis circuit. It is more about the future of the 36-year-old.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the first Grand Slam of the season. Coming into the tournament after a shaky start to the 2023 season Nadal fought hard in the first round. But it was his bad luck with injuries that struck again leaving him heartbroken after a straight-set defeat to a player outside the top 50.
After the unceremonious exit from the Australian Open riling with injury, Nadal got more bad news. The injured leg will force him to stay out of action for six to eight weeks. As Nadal’s career is in the twilight years one thing that he lacks is time. Boris Becker, former World No. 1 and Eurosport expert, painted a grim picture of the coming months for the Mollarcan.
Becker has suggested that Nadal’s “days are numbered” as he is running against time. He sees the early exit as “the first step towards his retirement”.
“An injury like that is hard, and at this age, it takes even longer to get back into shape. I hope and pray that he will get well soon and that we will see him looking fresh again in Paris at the latest, but I think his days are numbered,” he explained.
Related: Andy Murray winning at 4 AM in Melbourne is a sign the Australian Open has to set its house in order
Despite the grim outlook, Becker believes Rafael Nadal changed tennis
Becker, the two-time Australian Open champion himself applauded Rafael Nadal irrespective of what the future has in the bank for him. “Nadal is not only a tennis legend, he is a sports legend. He is one of the most important sportsmen of the last 25 years. He has changed tennis and made it even more popular in his home country of Spain,” Becker acknowledged.
The 55-year-old believes that Nadal will pick up his racquet for the clay court season. “The clay court season will be his priority. If he is fit, he is still my favorite for the French Open, but even Rafael Nadal gets older eventually,” he explained.
Nadal, inching closer to 37 will no doubt have to go down the Federer way sooner than later. The injury will just advance the inevitable. Whatever the future holds for Nadal, he will definitely go down in the history as one of the greatest stars and the greatest left-hander the game has ever seen.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)