"I wanna see him get to 21, so much good could come out if Rafa has a great tournament" - Lindsay Davenport on Rafael Nadal's 2022 AO campaign
Former Australian Open champion Lindsay Davenport recently expressed her desire to see Rafael Nadal win his 21st Major at the 2022 Australian Open. Davenport believes that while a successful campaign in Melbourne could be season-defining for Nadal, the path to victory would be far from straightforward.
The Mallorcan brought an early end to his 2021 season after suffering a terrible flare-up of a chronic foot problem. He eventually had to undergo treatment for his condition, which kept him away from the sport for almost five months.
When things seemed on the mend, Nadal contracted COVID, casting further doubt on his participation at this year's opening Slam. The 35-year-old admittedly is not in the best physical shape going into the Melbourne Major.
And Lindsay Davenport, on her part, feels that playing best-of-five matches on the fast hardcourt surfaces in Melbourne could be taxing for the Spaniard's body. However, she claimed that she wants him to win Slam No. 21 in Melbourne as it would stand him in good stead for the rest of the season.
"It's great to see him back out there healthy but three out of five sets on a hardcourt, on his body, I just don't know. I mean I wanna see him get to 21. I think so much good could come out of it if Rafa has a great tournament and potentially wins here but lets see physically how he holds up," Lindsay Davenport said.
"I want to see him get too 21, I think that so much good could come out of it if Rafa has a great tournament." 🙌
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Davenport, however, added an air of caution by reminding viewers that Nadal could have missed the Australian Open due to his foot ailment and positive COVID test.
As such, she does not think the Mallorcan has a big chance of winning the title, given the faster surfaces and his lack of match practice in recent times.
"We got to remember, there was a chance that Rafa wasn't even gonna come. Not only the foot, (but he also) tested positive for COVID in late December. So everyone was thrilled when he got off the plane and showed the picture of himself on Rod Laver Arena," she added. "But I think it's probably a big ask at this tournament, the courts are playing very fast. He's played seven tournaments, each of the last two years."
Rafael Nadal moves into the second round of the 2022 Australian Open with a brilliant win over Marcos Giron
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Rafael Nadal defeated Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in his first-round match on Monday. The Spaniard was at his fluent best, striking a mammoth 34 winners to keep the American at arm's length throughout the encounter. He did not lose his serve and conceded a mere 16 points on his delivery.
The 2009 champion will next face either Thanasi Kokkinakis or Yannick Hanfmann in the second round on Wednesday. At the time of writing, Hanfmann leads Kokkinakis by two sets to love.