"People are saying Rafael Nadal will not last a long time because of injuries, I've always said kind of the opposite"- Mats Wilander
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Mats Wilander said he never felt that injuries would shorten Rafael Nadal's career, contrary to what most experts believed. Instead, the Swede said the Spaniard's love for the sport and hunger to succeed would keep him going for a long time.
Nadal has broken numerous records in the sport despite battling a chronic foot problem for most of his career. The Spaniard was sidelined for a large part of the 2021 season due to a left foot injury that also forced him to consider retiring. But Nadal managed to recover fully and returned to action in January, before winning a record 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
According to Wilander, Nadal has a tendency to push himself to breaking point before coming back stronger than ever.
“Rafa Nadal loves tennis and competing so much that when he’s feeling good he’s going to go out there and he’s going to run as hard as he can. People are saying Rafa Nadal will not last a long time because of injuries, I’ve always said kind of the opposite,” said Wilander.
“Rafa Nadal will last until he gets injured and then he will go home and he will do rehab and then he will play again and he will push himself so hard physically and mentally and emotionally that he will get injured again and then he will go home, he will rehab and he will start again," added the 57-year-old.
The Spaniard was recently diagnosed with a rib fracture, which will sideline him for four to six weeks. He will miss the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open and his participation in the rest of the clay swing is still uncertain.
According to Wilander, Nadal "pushed his body a little bit too much" by playing so many tournaments on hardcourt at the start of the season.
Mats Wilander thinks Rafael Nadal should have taken a break after winning the Mexican Open to prevent him picking up an injury - but conceded that's not the Spaniard's style. tennis365.com/atp-tour/rafae…
“In a perfect world I would have thought that after he won the tournament in Acapulco, Mexico playing as well as he did, beating Medvedev again in two sets, beating Cameron Norrie in the finals in two sets, I was 100% sure that he was not going to go and play in Indian Wells or Miami,” mentioned Wilander.
“I thought that he would take a month off from tournaments and then go to his normal schedule which is play the clay courts, I think maybe he pushed his body a little bit too much," added the former World No. 1 player.
"He’s the best player of all time on paper" - Mats Wilander on Rafael Nadal
In the interview, Wilander also hailed Nadal as the GOAT from a statistical standpoint and marveled at what the Spaniard had managed to achieve despite being plagued by injuries.
“He’s the best player of all time on paper for the men so I think that maybe what he’s done is actually better than if you play for 18 years in a row and never take a break," said Wilander.
Nadal will be hoping to make a comeback at the Madrid Open, where he is a five-time champion.