Time up for Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal withdraws from the Rome Masters and will head into the French Open without any leadup tournaments on the red dirt.

Time up for Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal (Image via TennisBuzz)

Even the eternal optimist and the most ardent fans of Rafael Nadal are now in a depression. News of the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles saying “no” to the Rome Masters means the Spaniard is not ready for the rigors of tennis. The scene out there in the men’s section is loaded, really. Agreed, Novak Djokovic has been facing ups and downs. Yet, when it comes to the Majors, he turns into beast mode. The problem for Rafael Nadal is his last roll of the dice can happen only at the French Open, starting on May 22.

It’s a bizarre scenario, almost hopeless for Rafa, as he had to pull out of the Rome event. From the lows of the Australian Open in January 2023 to recuperate from injuries, the winner of 14 French Open titles has hit the nadir. He did post videos of training but the opinion from doctors is he is still not fit, as of Friday.

YouTube video

By interpretation, it means Rafael Nadal’s health is fragile, he is not 100 percent fit. It’s traumatic, to say the least. For someone who won two Majors last year, the Australian Open and the French Open, to be away from competitive tennis for so long is a dubious record. To be precise, if he still dares to play at the French Open, he will be going into a Major minus match play for 130 days. He has just five match wins in 10 months, which makes it a sad case.

FS Video

Miracles are miracles if they happen once in a while. Rafa needs a miracle to be fit for the grind of two weeks on clay. There must be a fear factor in his head and heart, for, in over two decades, he has not been so traumatized. His foot injury is an old thing. Then came the abdominal tear, and rib injury. He has become like a soldier in the war zone.

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Is retirement the only option left for Rafael Nadal?

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Image via Love Tennis)

In war, there is no choice, you go down with guns blazing. On a tennis court, if he has gone down with his racket blazing, that has been a rarity. Sample this, his rankings on the ATP computer are in free fall. He will get into the French Open without a low seeding, most likely. That will make him more vulnerable as you have hungry players like Carlos Alcaraz waiting.

These days, the Russian army of players is doing well, in men’s as well as women’s sections. Maybe, even Daniil Medvedev will be prepared better than Rafa! The situation is bleak, Rafa will not want to miss Roland Garros. But if he gets blown away in the initial rounds, that would be worse.

How long can Rafael Nadal keep delaying the inevitable? You can send old cars and vehicles to the garage for denting and painting and replacing parts. This is a human body that has faced all kinds of injuries. Most important, the champion himself does not know what can go wrong if he plays in a match. Sad for Rafa fans. If he is headed the same way as Roger Federer, who now enjoys himself at the Met Gala and fashions shows, then Rafael Nadal will have to take a call on his career. He turns 37 on June 3. Will he be in the French Open draw or at home that day?

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