Novak Djokovic’s former coach believes something ‘really bad’ has happened to Rafael Nadal for him to miss his favorite tournaments

Becker feels Nadal is in serious pain

Novak Djokovic’s former coach believes something ‘really bad’ has happened to Rafael Nadal for him to miss his favorite tournaments

Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker (Image via Rafael Nadal Fans)

The French Open is less than a month away from us. Every year you have 128 players competing against each other to lift the biggest clay prize in the tour. However, in the last 18 years, you had one person lift it 14 times. That’s the kind of dominance Rafael Nadal had in the tournament. However, it’s not the same this time around. Out of action since January this year, Nadal’s chances in Paris are down to a miracle.

His participation itself is under a lot of doubt, let alone his success. He has not been able to fully recover since Wimbledon last year. His pulling out of the Italian Open was a killer blow to all his fans. Along with his fans, legends of the game have also weighed in on his injury issues. In an exclusive interview with Eurosport, 6-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker shared his views on the Nadal injury saga.

“All Nadal fans, and I’m one of them, are worried,” he said. “It happens that he is injured. After his injury in Melbourne, it was said that he would be fit again for the clay-court season. That was not the case. If Nadal cancels the clay-court tournaments in preparation for Roland-Garros, something really bad must have happened.”
“I really hope he can at least compete in Paris. That would at least be good news.”

Corrado Barazzutti recently said that he believes Roland Garros 2023 could be the Spaniard’s last tournament ever. Becker has his views on this statement. “If Paris really is his last [tournament], that would be negative news about Rafael. Let’s hope that Corrado Barazzutti is not right in this case.
“A player always has to decide for himself which is his last tournament – and I sincerely hope that for Rafa it won’t be the Roland-Garros tournament this year.”

Becker also showed his concerns about the lack of match practice Nadal would have before coming to the Paris event. “Like every top player, Rafa needs match experience, which you don’t get in practice. “You can practice for four or five hours, but the tension, dealing with spectators and umpires, or how to play four or five matches in a row – you only get all that in tournament mode.”

Fans along with Boris Becker would hope Nadal can gather some sort of momentum entering the mega event. To spread some positivity amongst the Nadal fans, let’s recall the 2022 French Open. Nadal didn’t have great match practice as he entered the event. However, the Spaniard ended up winning his 14th Crown. He defeated players like Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic, and Zverev on his way to glory. Can he do something similar this year?

Related: WATCH: Rafael Nadal sweats hard in practice on clay to avoid missing French Open for the first time in 19 years

Becker hails Nadal as a great sports icon

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Rafael Nadal and Boris Becker (Image via Rafael Nadal Fans)

Becker also spoke about the impact Nadal has had on the sporting over the years. “Rafa is not a sports hero, but an icon,” he said. “He has changed the sport of tennis significantly. No one has ever played tennis like Rafael Nadal – let alone been so successful. This is also evident in his attitude. He is one of the fairest players in the world, one of the greatest fighters we have ever seen. And the fact that he won Wimbledon twice as the “King of Clay” and was also successful in the other Grand Slam tournaments shows his unique performance over almost two decades.

“I can still remember the first time he won in Paris with his very exhausting style of play. People said that this way of playing was much too strenuous, and that he would never make it in the long run. Yes, we all were wrong. He proved us completely different. He is an absolute icon of the sport.” Becker certainly believes in Nadal to do a miracle yet again on the Tour. However, one thing is for sure, there will be prayers all around to see the Spaniard back in action.

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