"I don't think we'll see peak Nadal anymore" - Leading sports betting analyst predicts Rafael Nadal's tennis future
Rafael Nadal is past his peak despite winning two Grand Slam titles this season, according to leading sports betting analyst Pamela Maldonado. She opined that fitness issues will get the better of the Spanish great in the years to come as his treatment solutions are not sustainable for the long term.
The former World No. 1 has played 43 matches this season, losing only five and winning four titles in the process, including the Australian Open and French Open. The World No. 2 is also in with a chance to overtake compatriot Carlos Alcaraz for the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Nadal stretched his body to the limit to win the French Open, taking multiple injections on his left foot throughout the tournament before undergoing nerve treatment on the same foot after the event. Maldonado believes his best days as a tennis player are well past him as he cannot prolong his career with constant treatment.
"I don't think we'll see peak Nadal anymore," Pamela Maldonado said on an episode of the Tennis Channel: Inside-In podcast.
"I think those days have passed us...It is going to start becoming a thing where, what he did to his body this year, when he got the injection in order to get through at Roland Garros, that is not sustainable. That is not something he can repeat year after year and have longevity in this sport," she added.
Maldonado further stated that the fact that the 36-year-old is now a father will also change his priorities in life and could play a role in him retiring from tennis sooner rather than later.
"I feel like the days of Nadal are starting to cave in a bit. Who knows when his retirement could come? But now that he is a father, potentially that focus is going to shift," Maldonado stated.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not played a tour-level singles match since the fourth round of the US Open in early September and will play his first match in almost two months at next week's Paris Masters. He will also compete in the ATP Finals soon after the Paris Masters, both tournaments where he has not won the title to date.
"I don't expect him to have a deep run" - Pamela Maldonado on Rafael Nadal's chances at Paris Masters
Pamela Maldonado further shared her views on Rafael Nadal's chances at the 2022 Paris Masters, one of his least successful tournaments historically. While the analyst believes that the fact that the Spaniard is well rested as has had a very positive year in terms of victories will help him in Paris, there are many factors that will work against him.
She highlighted that the fast indoor courts at the Paris Masters do not help the Mallorcan.
"Some of the cons for Paris are that he hasn't played. Paris is fast, that doesn't bode well for Nadal. Here he has a 22-6 win-loss record, no titles," Maldonado said.
He last played at the Masters 1000 tournament in Paris back in 2020, losing in straight sets to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. Maldonado further highlighted that the Spaniard struggles against big-hitters on fast courts and that will affect him in the 2022 edition as well.
"He lost to Zverev in the 2020 semifinal, lost to Shapovalov in the 2019 semifinal. Those two names are already telling you that he struggles against these heavy hitters on this faster surface. So I don't expect him to have a deep run here with a lot of great players coming into this tournament," she opined.
* Denis Shapovalov was given a walkover by Rafael Nadal in the 2019 Paris Masters semifinals.