Chris Evert expects Rafael Nadal to step away soon owing to his injuries and wanting more family time
Chris Evert expects Rafael Nadal to wind down in coming years citing his injury concerns and aging body.
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Chris Evert, Rafael Nadal
American tennis legend Chris Evert gives her say on Spanish Great Rafael Nadal, his recent injury concerns, and longevity. As she was talking recently in an interview, she opines that the Spanish sensation might have some other perspectives at this point of his career with the injuries piling up on the 36-year-old. She also gives a view that becoming a father might lead him to think about having more family time.
As the former World No.1 said, “The thing for Rafa looking ahead is really preserving his body. I think now that he is a father, he has a different perspective and he has something to go to after tennis. His body has so much wear and tear that now a simple injury is not going to be simple anymore and they are going to come at a faster rate.”
Chris Evert continued, “I think you can safely say in the next few years, he will probably be winding down. I don’t want to retire anybody, but in the next few years, I think just because of the injuries and having a family, it would not surprise me if he started to wind down. The injuries have come in the last few years at a higher rate. So that is sort of a tell-tale sign that his body may be more fragile, maybe breaking down a little bit.” (Source: Eurosport)
Rafael Nadal will be looking to come back for the clay swing
The Spanish World No.9 Rafael Nadal has had an injury-hit career but he has always come back stronger to win more majors and break more records. Being one of the unluckiest players in the history of the game in terms of injuries, Nadal is still the most successful Grand Slam player ever. With 22 Grand Slams won, he still stands on the top.
Though his body was not predicted to endure long with his physical game, Nadal has proved all the haters wrong. He has never gone out of Top-10 in the ATP rankings since he reached there in 2005. This is one of those records which is difficult to be broken in tennis. After turning 30, the Spaniard grabbed 8 Grand Slams – definitely a direct answer to the questions raised about his endurance.
The Spaniard’s physical game was always considered a reason for his injury-prone career. But the truth is that Nadal has an inborn condition on his left foot called Mueller-Weiss Syndrome. In his early years, the doctors even asked him to stop playing the game. But with a special shoe designed that has an extra cushion on his left foot, Nadal continued playing. But the strain on his foot caused major issues in his knee and other body parts later.
In 2022, the Spaniard underwent a radio-frequency treatment. It was expected to stop the pain in the foot by numbing the nerves. The fans were expecting an-injury free Nadal after the foot treatment. But the abdomen injury in the second half of 2022 and the hip injury at the start of 2023 have given them further blows.
Nadal has already withdrawn from the earlier committed tournaments until the sunshine double. The tennis world is expecting the return of the Spaniard for the clay court swing.
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