Rafael Nadal's injury-plagued situation similar to how Roger Federer's career ended, says Feliciano Lopez
Spanish tennis pro Feliciano Lopez has expressed worry about the injury-plagued Rafael Nadal's situation over the last few months, comparing it to the last few months of Roger Federer's career.
Nadal started the 2022 season strong, winning the Australian Open and the French Open. However, he had to take pain-killing injections in Paris to deal with a long-standing foot injury.
While Nadal resorted to a new treatment to manage that issue, another injury — a tear in his abdomen — cut short his Wimbledon Championships campaign. He was forced to withdraw from the tournament at SW19 ahead of his semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios.
In nine matches after the grass Slam last year, the Spaniard won just four times.
Nadal has barely gotten going in 2023 either. He began his season at the inaugural United Cup, where he lost both his matches to Cameron Norrie and Alex de Minaur. At the Australian Open, where he was the defending champion, Nadal beat Jack Draper before losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the Round of 64.
Nadal has not played any competitive tennis since the Melbourne Major, given that he sustained a hip injury during his match against McDonald.
His compatriot and friend Lopez, in an interview with Punto de Break, expressed deep concern about Nadal's situation.
“I worry more as a friend. At the tennis level, obviously I am concerned that he can play again and that he can arrive at Roland Garros prepared, which is the main objective. But it worries me more on a personal level, that a player who has been triumphing all his life is now going through this, so I hope he recovers soon,” he said.
Lopez went on to liken the 36-year-old's current woes to the final months of Roger Federer's career, which came to an end at the Laver Cup last year.
“It hurts me that he is going through this, just like it happened to Federer, who had to retire without being able to play, playing a half lame doubles match, although it was quite a reason, but I don't think it was what he had dreamed of after all that he has achieved,” Lopez said.
As Rafael Nadal withdraws from Barcelona Open, former World No. 1s Andy Roddick and Justine Henin express concern
Rafael Nadal recently announced his withdrawal from the 2023 Barcelona Open, which is set to get underway on Monday, 17 April. He stated that he was "not yet fully prepared" to make his return from injury.
Former WTA World No. 1 Justine Henin has raised concerns regarding the Spaniard's extended absence from the tour. Recalling how he was unable to give an on-court interview after his victory at the 2022 French Open, she wondered if he had given too much to win the title in Paris.
"I remember that last year in Paris we couldn't do the interview on the court after the final. We had the feeling that he had given so much to win a Roland Garros more. Was it too much? It's another question for the following weeks or months," she said.
Similarly, former ATP World No. 1 Andy Roddick also expressed worry about Nadal's struggles to stay fit. The American stated that the 22-time Grand Slam champion is more injury prone these days, and suggested that this could be the final leg of his tennis career.
"Yeah, it very well could be [the beginning of the end for Nadal]. The space between his injuries is getting tighter and tighter. It seems like they are cumulative now. It does not seem like he has been completely healthy since last year's run at Wimbledon," he said.