It was impossible not to think about just a month earlier, when Nadal, at 36, became the oldest champion in French Open history, he expressed doubts about whether he was suffering from chronic pain in his left leg. Will also appear at the All England Club. Nerve numbing injections were required so that he could play in Paris.
And it was impossible not to think back on Center Court a year ago, when Roger Federer was knocked out after a Wimbledon quarter-final loss, clearly compromised by a balky right knee that soon required nearly 18 months. A third surgery would be required in the period. , Federer, who turned 41 in a month, has not played a match since then.
These two extraordinary athletes, forever linked as rivals and greats of the sport, may be at different stages of the end of their careers, but one cannot help but wonder whether Nadal’s recent difficulty is staying healthy. I have – he also lost time this season due to a rib injury, and his leg in the second half of last season – may affect how prepared he is to push his body.
At some point, both will leave the game. As was, at some point, another member of the so-called Big Three, Novak Djokovic, who defeated Cam Nori 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–6– to reach his men’s-record 32nd Grand Slam title match. 4 on Friday which became the lone men’s semifinal.
Nick Kyrgios, who benefited from Nadal’s return and reached his first Grand Slam final, said: “I don’t think anyone is able to fill those shoes to be honest with you.”
“We’ll never see a competitor like Rafa again. You’ll never see someone wielding a racquet like Roger so easily. You’ll probably never see someone who just wins and just plays such a good game… Djokovic.”
Nadal holds a men’s record 22 Grand Slam titles, two ahead of the 35-year-old Djokovic and Federer.
“It’s going to be a sad day,” Kyrgios said, “when they leave.”
Nadal was asked if he made the right choice to continue playing against Taylor Fritz in Wednesday’s quarterfinal, despite feeling so much pain from the start of the first set, being there for five complete sets in about 4 1/2 hours. Hang on
He said some remarkable things in response.
He’s sure it makes sense to keep playing, because he could – reality proves possibility – and of course, he won.
He’s not someone who likes to quit playing once the match starts (he’s done it three times in 351 Grand Slam events, nine times in 1,275 in his entire career).
He is not someone who questions past choices, although he will try to learn from his mistakes.
He is proud that he finished that match, but once he got more details on Thursday about the extent of the injury, he called the decision “thinking about your health and your future.”
Nadal expects to return to groundstroke practice in about a week; Will need to wait to be served, but he still said that stomach problems could only put him off for a month. He feels he can stick to a schedule that includes the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, which starts on August 29.
Nadal said, “As I always said, the most important thing for me is happiness, more than any title, even though everyone knows how much effort I have put in to get here.”
“But I can’t risk that match and stay out of the competition for two, three months, because it’s going to be a tough thing for me.”
He said he was not at all concerned with trying to advance to a calendar-year Grand Slam – 4 for 4 in the game’s four major championships – even though he won first at the Australian Open and French Open . 2022.
Instead, he insisted: “I thought about my daily happiness and my daily work.”
The question for him and for the rest of us is how long can he stay healthy enough to happily work out and compete.
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