«I have rarely had the feeling of returning home without having done everything possible to make things go well»
Spain’s Rafael Nadal receives medical treatment for his hip during the third set of play against Australia’s Jordan Thompson at their men’s singles match during the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on January 5, 2024. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP) / –IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE–
Rafa Nadal interviewed by Repubblica on the possibility that he may retire soon. Today he plays in Madrid against Darwin Blanch.
“It will not be the end of the world (possibly not being in Paris, ed.). The world doesn’t end with Roland Garros. I have always accepted things. Life is not all black or white. And, anyway, there will be the Olympics. This event will be in my mind.”
But how hard is it to accept all this?
“Honestly? Winning and losing is part of our daily life. What made me happy all my life, more than winning, was giving my all. I rarely had the feeling of returning home without having done everything possible to make things go well.”
And now?
«Now the problem is that I can’t. But I have to try, see if there’s a way out. It’s normal for people to hope that everything will be resolved and move on. I’ve always been positive, but there comes a time. That moment”.
Don’t say it.
«Believe me, everything is fine with me, I aspire to nothing more than going on the pitch, having fun and having the feeling of being able to play in places where I have received unparalleled affection. If I succeed, fine, otherwise nothing. I don’t have to prove anything anymore, and that’s okay. I’m a pretty chill person and I’ll decide when that time is. I can say that I was very loved.”
“Relevo” talks about it:
“Nadal has always been haunted by a certain reputation as a setter and it is true that at the beginning he was an unbearable player for his rivals in this sense. He did everything, he ran like a deer around the field and many times he won points by putting an extra ball on the field. Each point had to be won seven times against that Nadal with fresh legs. His physique was scandalous.
As the years went by, with so many injuries and with his rivals starting to hit harder and harder, Nadal adapted his playing style. When Carlos Moyà joined his technical team at the end of 2016, one of the problems that the 1998 Roland Garros champion brought to the table was that Nadal had to shorten the points. He had to be more aggressive and save energy. It was no longer necessary to subject oneself to excessive effort and therefore expose one’s body to injuries.
When you have good legs you don’t need to shorten the stitches. Nadal has always worked on the point, he has always played with great order», Marc López, one of Nadal’s coaches, told Relevo. «The legs are no longer the same and tennis has changed in these 20 years of career. Now everything is much faster and everyone hits harder. Nadal was able to adapt to this and understood that he can and must play with more courage»”.
Relevo explains that the Spanish tennis player’s physique is, paradoxically, his greatest strength.
“Although it may seem like a contradiction after so many injuries, a large part of Nadal’s success lies in his physical strength , especially on clay. Resisting Nadal’s intensity in a five-set match on clay is within the reach of very few. Of the 140 matches played in these conditions, he lost only three: two against Novak Djokovic and one against Robin Soderling.”
A physical strength that can penalize him, as demonstrated by the various injuries.
“That strength can now become your Achilles’ heel. And Nadal’s body doesn’t stop giving him warnings. He is about to turn 38 – he will do so on June 3 – and after having played just three games in the last 16 months, his physique is a mystery. In January in Australia, returning after a year’s absence, he was injured in the third match. Consequences of high competition“.
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