Break point, Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal stays in news, though, these days, it is more like hearing about updates on his health issues. On Thursday, when the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles put out a video post on how things are still not OK with him and he has no plans of returning soon, the tennis world did churn. Week after week, now into months, from January 2023, the delay in Rafa’s return to the tennis courts has become intriguing.

When he posted in March he was back in training, it brought smiles to the faces of many of his fans. No, today, it’s a bummer, Rafa’s return is indefinitely off. There are wishes and prayers he will have that one last dance, that one last fling at the French Open at the end of May. It’s not about May, it’s about may. The suspense has grown to such an extent, the Spaniard’s health concerns, purely in tennis parlance, are not encouraging. In normal life, when one talks of health issues, it has a different meaning.

In the case of an athlete, or an elite athlete, injuries and fitness woes are serious. In youth, champions can take injuries in their stride. Maybe, even below 100 percent fitness is acceptable as the body copes with it. No, now with Rafael Nadal, his own words are clear, he will not take a chance unless he is fit. The left-hander faced fitness issues over 100 times – no exaggeration.

It is clear that any attempt to play where he is not dead sure his body can cope with the rigors will make matters worse. The Rafa fan club will kill you if you suggest retirement. Unlike the common man, he does not have to worry about what retirement benefits he will get. The guy’s assets are in billions of Euros, his legacy is rich. Like his good pal Roger Federer, he can get into modeling, business, and so many more things. So easy to suggest all this, really, provided Rafa will hear fans out. He has reached that stage in his career where full fitness is almost impossible.

Related: Simona Halep forced out of the 2023 French Open after IATA’s latest decision in her doping case

Rafael Nadal needs to take retirement lessons from legends old and new

Toe, ribs, abdomen, perhaps an anatomy student in the first year of medicine will know which areas, regions, and parts of Rafa have undergone trauma. The trauma is now mental, how to quit and when to quit. Ah, wish it was as simple as Ice Cool Swede Bjorn Borg quitting. At 25, the winner of 11 Grand Slam titles decided he was packing up. Borg shocked the tennis world, literally. Borg, of flowing mane and flowing strokes of wooden racket frame, moved away.

It was like arc lights being turned off. That was four decades ago when Borg felt he had lost motivation, having been on tennis courts since the age of 14. Borg was brave, he decided in a split second. Quite different from the tennis he played, which was grinding, really. Borg did find it hard to step away from the attention, and dabbled with even drugs and suicide says the grapevine. But he denied it vehemently. Borg attempted a return to tennis, but it was in vain.

He had played his best and reproducing the same form was impossible. If Borg timed his retirement well, Steffi Graf was the diva. She had the world at her feet in 1988, when she completed the Golden Slam, all four Majors plus the Olympic gold in Seoul. In 1999, after losing the Wimbledon final to Lindsay Davenport, Graf decided it was time to pack up. It was shocking, benumbing, but she timed it so well. Tennis had become a maelstrom for Graf, as her injuries (wrist) were growing.

The tennis community thought she would push till the US Open in 1999. No, she just walked away. That was brilliant as quitting at the peak is not easy. That Steffi Graf soon married Andre Agassi and settled down is history. She is happy to be away from the tennis courts and happy to be a wife and mom. That’s her grace. If the tennis world needed another jolt, it had to be Pistol Pete Sampras.

The Yank who dominated Wimbledon with his explosive serve and volley, where the second serve was as potent as the first, was a true champion. He won one Wimbledon in 2000 against Pat Rafter, almost standing on one foot. He had foot injuries and took all kinds of treatment, including Chinese therapy. But then, in 2001, when Sampras was bounced out by Roger Federer at Wimbledon in the fourth round, the Quiet American had begun to think about his future.

That year, Pistol Pete was supposed to win his fifth Wimbledon. History decided otherwise. Sampras then lurked around, bang ended his career after winning the US Open in 2002. His win against Andre Agassi in New York was against all odds. Perhaps, like Borg quitting at peak, Sampras did the same. He was 32 then. The way modern-day tennis stars have hung around is a shame.

Serena Williams made a song and dance of her retirement plans before waving bye to fans at the US Open in 2022. By then, the Queen had become a Commoner. Her elder sister Venus is still around, knowing very well the young brigade is hungry. It’s hard, to move away Back to Rafael Nadal, one more fling at the French Open may be tempting. He has dropped in rankings, he has dropped in fitness.

There are risks galore when he plays, he does not know which part will break down. Rafa needs to decide fast. If he retires soon, it would be best. Not when he gets beaten by a Tom, Dick, or Harry.
Break point, Rafa?

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