"He's the most beloved player in the tournament" - Feliciano Lopez on why he hopes Rafael Nadal plays the 2022 Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal's recurring foot injury has kept him out of competitive tennis action for a significant portion of the ongoing season. The Spaniard has been dealing with the issue since 2005, which flared up during his semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier this year.
Nadal subsequently withdrew from Wimbledon and the Tokyo Olympics, and after a pain-ridden run in Washington, announced that he'd be sitting out the rest of the 2021 season. But he hopes to be fit in time for the start of the 2022 season, where his focus will once again be the clay swing.
And Nadal is not the only one who is hoping for that.
Speaking at an event marking the renewal of the Mutua Madrid Open until 2030, tournament director Feliciano Lopez expressed hope that Rafael Nadal recovers in time to compete at the Madrid Masters next year. Lopez is an old friend and former Davis Cup teammate of Nadal's, and he claimed the 35-year-old is "still young" before adding he is the biggest draw of the tournament.
"We hope to see Rafael Nadal in the next edition," Lopez said. "He is still young and has shown that he can overcome injuries. He will be welcome because he is the most beloved player in the tournament."
Lopez went on to mention Roger Federer, who also ended his 2021 season due to knee injury. The Spaniard asserted that Federer's presence in Madrid would mean "all the best" would be at the tournament.
"I hope Federer also recovers because that will mean that we have all the best available for the tournament," Lopez added.
Roger Federer spent more than a year on the sidelines with a knee injury. After playing at a handful of events in his 2021 comeback, the Swiss was forced to withdraw from the rest of the season to have another surgery.
The Madrid Open is Rafael Nadal's weakest claycourt Masters event
Rafael Nadal is easily the greatest claycourt player in the history of tennis. He has won the French Open a record 13 times, and has amassed 27 Masters 1000 titles on the surface. But the Masters event in his home country - the Madrid Open - has historically been his weakest.
Although Nadal has won Madrid five times, his recent record at the event hasn't been too great. The Spaniard's most recent win there came in 2017, and the next two years he lost in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
This year, in between triumphs at Barcelona and Rome, Nadal lost in the Madrid quarterfinal to eventual champion Alexander Zverev.
At this age and stage of his career, Rafael Nadal might want to manage his workload in a way that optimizes his most successful events. The 35-year-old could, therefore, look to drop Madrid from his schedule in favor of Monte Carlo (where he has 11 titles) and Rome (10 titles).