The last few months have not been easy for Rafael Nadal, who has had to deal with a long series of injuries. Since he reached the semifinals of Wimbledon 2022 we have not seen the best version of the Spanish. The former world number 1 tore his abs at the Championships, failed to play in the semi-final against Nick Kyrgios and left the scene prematurely at the US Open.
Rafa did not shine even at the ATP Finals in Turin, getting just one win against Casper Ruud with the matches already over. The first month of 2023 did not bring him great joy, on the contrary, it exacerbated the concern of many of his fans.
The 36-year-old man from Manacor missed both games played in the United Cup, while he did not make it past the second round at the Australian Open. In addition to being left out of the Top 5, the Iberian suffered a second degree injury in the ileus-psoas.
We will hardly see him on the grass again before the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, a tournament that marks the start of the season on clay. His big target is Roland Garros, where he will search for his 15th stamp. Speaking to Eurosport, Justine Henin spoke about Nadal’s future.
Henin talks about Rafa Nadal
«Today the fans are asking a lot of questions about Rafael Nadal, who has already surprised everyone countless times,» Justine Henin analyzed. “Victories at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2022 left everyone speechless, proving that Rafa should never be underestimated.
At the same time, it must be admitted that it seems to be in difficulties in recent months. He had several physical problems, became a father in the fall and never returned to 100% fitness. The 2023 Australian Open didn’t go well and he injured his ileus-psoas, something he really didn’t want after the ordeal of the past few months.
Will Rafa be able to get up again? We will find out at Roland Garros”, added the Belgian. Nadal was signed by Djokovic to lead the all-time Grand Slam rankings. Despite being one of the greatest players of all time, Rafael Nadal still gets nervous during his matches, as his former coach and uncle Toni Nadal recently revealed.
«There are moments during matches where, I don’t know about you, but I know Rafael gets nervous. There are moments when I look at Rafa and I can see he’s crying,» Toni said.
