"More yesterdays than tomorrows for Nadal" - Tennis commentator Brian Clark on Rafael Nadal's eventual retirement
Rafael Nadal's eventual retirement will be the 'talk of the town' in the tennis world, according to ATP commentator Brian Clark. After the retirements of Serena Williams and Roger Federer marked two huge moments in the sport's history, the manner in which the Spanish great eventually bids goodbye will be a topic of discussion, according to Clark.
Nadal was part of his great rival and friend Roger Federer's emotional farewell at the Laver Cup last month and the two greats even shed tears on the court. Clark opened up about the final phase of Federer's career and opined that the Swiss great "kept pushing it" towards the end.
He wondered whether the Spaniard, whose career has "more yesterdays than tomorrows," took inspiration from Federer's situation with regard to his own retirement. Clark shared his views during a chat on Courtside: The US Open Podcast.
"As a tennis player, there are more yesterdays than tomorrows for Nadal," Clark stated. "I wonder if he'll have learned, take lessons, or maybe even inspiration from Federer, who wanted to keep playing and continue but just kept pushing it. You can't fault him for that but ultimately the body just gave out."
Clark, who is also a US Open radio host, further expressed that the attention will now shift from Federer and Williams to Nadal when it comes to tennis legends retiring. He urged fans to "savor" the remainder of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's career.
"It's going to be the new parlor game in the sport. When does Rafa say goodbye and how does he do it? That's obviously been a conversation now for a while in tennis with Serena Williams, Roger Federer, with this generation," Clark said.
We know that the end is closer than the beginning. So when you have the opportunity to see him on the court, whether he is your favorite player or you really respect him, just savor it," he added.
Leading ATP commentator speculates whether Spaniard will retire at 'Pista Rafael Nadal' in Barcelona
Brian Clark feels Federer's Laver Cup retirement was memorable, but believes that the 20-time Major champion would have ideally wanted to retire at Wimbledon or the Swiss Indoors Basel, his home tournament. Similarly, he wondered whether Nadal would learn from the experience of his good friend and play his final career match at a tournament where he has a lot of history.
Among those tournaments are the Barcelona Open, where the main court is named after him, or the French Open, where he has won 14 titles. Clark feels that Court Philippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros would also have been named after the Spanish legend if he were French.
"So Roger's goodbye, Laver Cup was great, but he probably would've wanted to say goodbye at Wimbledon or say goodbye at Basel, his home tournament where he played his first ATP tournament 24 years ago. So you wonder if that's going to factor in for Nadal," Clark said.
The court in Barcelona is Pista Rafael Nadal, it's named after him. If he were French, they would have already renamed the main court at Roland Garros after him," he added.
The 36-year-old Spaniard is currently training at his academy in Manacor and is preparing for a final push this season. He is expected to play in both the Paris Masters and ATP Finals before his exhibition tour in South America with Casper Ruud.