"Perhaps Rafael Nadal is thinking of Roger Federer when he made the comeback 5 years ago and won" - John McEnroe on Spaniard's run to AO final
Tennis legend John McEnroe feels Rafael Nadal may have drawn inspiration from Roger Federer's comeback at the 2017 Australian Open for his remarkable run in the 2022 edition of the tournament.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion reached the final at Melbourne Park for the sixth time in his career with a commanding performance on Friday. Nadal defeated World No. 7 Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in their semifinal encounter to move one step closer to a record 21st Grand Slam title.
Rafael Nadal beats Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 and reaches his 29th career Grand Slam final, 6th (1-4) at the #AusOpen.
He is one win away from the historic #21th Major title. Never been this close.
[getty] https://t.co/ZWc9BL4vzF
Speaking to Eurosport, McEnroe drew parallels between Nadal's Australian Open run and Federer's journey five years ago. Like the Spaniard, Federer returned to the tournament having missed two of the Majors the previous year.
While it was a foot injury that kept the World No. 5 out of action, a knee injury had forced Federer onto the sidelines. But on his return, the Swiss treated fans to one of the most memorable runs to a Major title, defeating four top-10 players, including Nadal, along the way.
John McEnroe mused that those memories could have served as fuel for Nadal in the last couple of weeks. He referred to both former World No. 1s as "freaks" as well as "all-time greats" who continued to amaze with their longevity and penchant for winning.
"Perhaps Rafael Nadal was thinking of [Roger] Federer, when he made the comeback five years ago and hadn't played for six months and won the Australian Open, and he is trying to duplicate that," McEnroe said. "He continues to amaze me, [just as] Roger did. These are freak individuals. Unique champions and all-time greats."
John McEnroe thinks Rafael Nadal can repeat what Roger Federer did in 2017 🏆
Do you agree? Is the Grand Slam No.21 coming?
#RafaelNadal #RogerFederer #JohnMcEnroe #AustralianOpen https://t.co/9fJ4sVS0s0
McEnroe further added that the 35-year-old benefitted from the drama caused by Novak Djokovic's visa situation prior to the start of the tournament. The American reckons the spotlight was not on Nadal, which is exactly what "a humble champion" like the Spaniard would have wanted, since it meant he could focus on his own game without any distractions.
"I don't think [fans] expected that Rafa would be able to come right back and maybe win the [2022 Australian Open]. With all the shenanigans and goings on with Novak [Djokovic] before the event, when there wasn't a lot of talk about Rafa," McEnroe said. "So he's sort of gone in the back door a little bit. I think that's the way he likes it. He's like a humble champion in a way. He's a very confident player, but a humble guy. So this has worked out very well for him.”
"Rafael Nadal is trying to change things a little bit, which is the smart thing to do at his age" - John McEnroe
John McEnroe also noted the changes in Rafael Nadal's game since his return to action at the start of the year. The 62-year-old highlighted how the Spaniard does not slide as much as he used to and attempts bigger second serves in order to avoid long-drawn-out rallies.
"It seems like Rafael Nadal is trying to change things a little bit. [He does] not slide as much on the court, give[s] away a few points and go[es] bigger on second serves," McEnroe said. "You didn't see him do [all this] in the past. I think that's all smart things to do at his age."
McEnroe added that he always knew the 35-year-old would come back stronger from his foot injury. According to the American, it was obvious that Nadal would not stay away from the sport for too long since he had only aggravated a pre-existing injury that he had successfully managed in the past.
"I always expected him to come back. I didn't know the severity of this foot issue but it's something apparently that he's been dealing with for 15 years," McEnroe said. "So if they've been able to manage that successfully for that long, it led me to believe that they were going to figure out a way to do it again.”