Like a year ago, Rafael Nadal could be in a better position heading into the Australian Open. 12 months ago, the Spaniard worked the miracle in Melbourne to win his 21st title in a Major and write in the history books. Rafa is the top seed at next week’s Australian Open, and enters the first Major of the season with just 11 matches in his legs after last year’s Wimbledon.
The legend lost seven of those duels, struggling to find form and get back into the winning circle. Alexander Zverev made a bold prediction ahead of the Australian Open, suggesting that Nadal will end his career at the next Roland Garros in June.
Rafa will turn 37 during his favorite Major, and he is still among the best players in the world, finishing the previous season in the top 2. Nadal has often said that he wants to prolong his career even after becoming a father in October last year, feeling eager and passionate about competing for another couple of years.
After huge problems in 2021, Rafa won the Australian Open and Roland Garros for the first time in his career last year. Thus, he expanded his tally to 22 Major titles and left Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer behind. Rafa was the number 1 favorite of the year for the second part of the season, but it couldn’t be for him.
The veteran reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, seeking his first All England Club trophy since 2010. However, he suffered a 7mm abdominal tear and withdrew after an epic five-set quarterfinal win over Taylor Fritz. Rafa would play just nine games in the remainder of the season, missing out on a chance to become world number 1 and barely finishing inside the top-2 ahead of Casper Ruud.
Nadal lost to Borna Coric in Cincinnati before reaching the fourth round of the US Open. An abdominal injury plagued him again, and he fell to Frances Tiafoe in four sets in New York, spoiling his chances for world no. 1. Rafa stayed away from the courts for two months, eager to recover and play injury-free.
Rafa Nadal will challenge Draper
Rafael Nadal has time and again made it clear that the Grand Slam race is not his biggest obsession in tennis, unlike how it is for Novak Djokovic. “I know that Rafa likes to say that he doesn’t care about Novak’s numbers or Roger’s numbers, but I’m not sure, as much as I love Rafael Nadal, that I totally believe him on that,” McEnroe stated.
“Because yes, he’s always amazed me with his ability to play for the love of the game. There’s no doubt about it, and the competition. But let’s be honest, the guy loves to win,” he explained.
