Rafael Nadal chosen as the ‘TOUGHEST’ player ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by Jean-Rene Lisnard, claims his every shot is ‘hell’

Rafael Nadal shocked the tennis world after he withdrew from the Roland Garros due to injury issues. In spite of being away from the tennis arena, the Spaniard received praise from the former tennis player, Jean-Rene Lisnard. During his recent interview with L’Equipe, Lisnard stated that Nadal is the ‘best’ among the top four players of the sport.

The Spaniard pulled out of the French Open due to persisting problems with his iliopsoas injury. He cited that he will be halting all activities for the season to focus on his complete recovery. The 37-year-old further hinted at his comeback on the professional tour by 2024. Nadal had earlier withdrawn from the tournaments of Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome Open.

On the other hand, the former Monegasque player, Jean-Rene Lisnard, voiced his appreciation for the Spanish player. The retired tennis player talked about his experience of playing against Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal. During his conversation with L’Equipe, the 43-year-old said Nadal is the ‘toughest’ among the big four players. Lisnard added that he cites the 14 Roland Garros champion as an ‘example’ while teaching the students at his academy named Elite Tennis Center.

“I played Federer, Djokovic, Agassi… The best is Nadal. Every shot is hell. When I do Roland Garros with juniors, I show them Rafa training: He has $500 million, more than 20 Slams, but he’s still on top of everything,” he said.

Looking at the ATP Head2Head, Lisnard and Nadal have clashed only once at the 2006 ATP 1000 Monte-Carlo Masters. The 22 Grand Slams champion defeated the Monegasque in a straight sets victory.

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Rafael Nadal shared update after his successful arthroscopic surgery

On Friday, the 22 Grand Slams champion underwent arthroscopic surgery on the left psoas muscle, at the Teknon Clinic in Barcelona. The Spanish player is expected to take five months to fully recover from the surgery. On Twitter, Nadal shared the news about his successful operation and extended his gratitude to the doctors.

“Hello everyone. As you know last night I had surgery. Everything went well and the arthroscopy was on the left psoas tendon that has kept me out of competition since January. An old injury to the labrum of my left hip was also [fixed] which will surely help the better evolution of the tendon. I want to thank doctors Marc Philippon, Jaume Vilaro and Angel Ruiz-Cotorro for their work,” he said in Spanish.

Nadal also withdrew from the Monte-Carlo Masters due to injury problems. He holds a career record of 11 titles at the championship.

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