“Two or three years” Chris Evert opines on how long can Rafael Nadal play after the Spaniard raised eyebrows with his retirement comments at the 2022 French Open
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Rafael Nadal and Chris Evert
World No. 5 Rafael Nadal put out a vintage performance during his fourth-round win in the 2022 French Open when he was taken to five sets by Felix Auger-Aliassime. Felix became just the third player after John Isner in 2011 and Novak Djokovic in 2013 to take the 13-time French Open in the decider set but similar to the other two, he also had to face the defeat at the hands of the Spaniard.
Nadal won the match 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 after an intense battle of 4 hours and 21 minutes and now faces a stern test from Djokovic in the quarter-finals having lost to the Serbian in the semi-finals last year and then seeing Novak lift the trophy a couple of days later. With Nadal coming to Paris with injury concerns and knowing Novak’s supreme form at the moment, Nadal hinted that he might be playing his final match in the French Open match against Novak sending shockwaves within the tennis community.
“I don’t know where Rafael Nadal gets this passion and fire in his belly”: Chris Evert
Among the many tennis lovers, Nadal’s comments have shaken 18-time Grand Slam champion Chris Evert who expressed her thoughts on the subject. The former World No. 1 who won 7 French Open titles praised Rafa for his love and passion for the game and gave a real timeline on how long can he extend his career with frequent injuries.
“He is sounding weary. There is so much more that comes with being a professional tennis player than playing a match, but he sounded tired. The respect I have for him because he is 35 years old and he can keep getting psyched up every single day for these matches. I started burning out in my early 30s. When I woke up in the morning I didn’t have anything in me, so I don’t know where he gets this passion and fire in his belly from.
“I am sure with the injury, I don’t want to say he is falling apart, but you get a little more affected by the playing and training. It is going to happen, whether it is next year, two years, three years. I would not give him more than two or three years to play tennis,” said Evert speaking on Eurosport.
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Sarthak Shitole
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