By Paul McNamee
One year can be a very long time.
Exactly 12 months ago, Rafael Nadal was winning an ATP tournament in Melbourne and on his way to winning his second Australian Open. Notwithstanding Novak Djokovic was a notable absentee, his comeback five-set victory over Daniil Medvedev in the final was a stunning result, demonstrating again that you can never count Nadal out.
Rafael Nadal bristled at questions about retirement at the United Cup.Credit:Getty Images
Neither did the winning stop there. Nadal went on a 22-match winning streak on hardcourts and, not long after, won his 14th French Open.
A year on, the difference is stark. After losing his first two matches at the year-end ATP Finals, Nadal lost his opening two matches of the year in the United Cup, against Cam Norrie and Alex de Minaur, both from a set up, something he’s never experienced before.
With the tennis world still reeling from the retirements of Roger Federer and Serena Williams, there has been inevitable speculation that this may be the beginning of the end for Nadal and, for Australian fans, the last chance to see the great Spaniard live. For example, Brits really did believe they would get to see Roger Federer play one more time at Wimbledon, as Federer himself wished, after he lost the last set he played there against Hubert Hurkacz 6-0 in 2021. It was not to be.
Like Federer before him, Nadal is battling injuries. In 2022, he had an abdominal tear, taking him out of an appetising semi at Wimbledon against Nick Kyrgios, plus there was a recurrence of a chronic ankle injury, and he has long battled tendonitis in the knees.
Rafael Nadal conquered Daniil Medvedev in last year’s Australian Open men’s final.Credit:Eddie Jim
When asked a few days ago, Nadal would have none of retirement speculation. “Every time I come to a press conference it seems that I have to retire,” he said. “So you are very interested in my retirement. That, for the moment, isn’t the case.”
For good reason. After all, in 2022 he won two grand slam titles, and he became a father for the first time. That’s a very successful year by any measure. He now sits on a record 22 grand slam titles, one ahead of Djokovic and two ahead of Federer. These particular stats in the GOAT (greatest of all time) race are arguably the most important, but in my opinion the three members of the trinity will all need to be retired before their careers can be evaluated.
In my opinion, the Nadal forehand is the single best shot in the history of tennis.
Will he win another slam? Perhaps not at three of the four majors but, for Nadal, there’s always the French Open. His record 14 titles, including 2022, is arguably the greatest single record in the history of sports. It’s up there with Michael Jordan’s double three-peat of NBA titles.
For me, even if Nadal went from a 22-match streak last year to hardly winning a match in this new season, he would still go in as the favourite at Roland Garros. There’s a good reason for that. On clay, there’s a maxim I subscribe to: “The best shot wins.” Well, in my opinion, the Nadal forehand is the single best shot in the history of tennis. Better than the Sampras or Federer serves, the Del Potro forehand or the Djokovic or Rosewall backhands. It’s handy when you go into every match, on every surface, knowing you have the best shot on the court.
Back to the Australian Open. This time Djokovic, the nine-time champion and deserved favourite is here, and Nadal is not even the highest ranked Spaniard! That mantle belongs to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz – young, strong and hyper-quick, someone Aussie crowds do need to see. Then there are the other challengers like Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz and, again, Medvedev. Also, locals Kyrgios or de Minaur are at least capable of big runs.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from his Wimbledon semi-final with an abdominal injury.Credit:AP
The X-factor is Nadal’s body. There is speculation his abdominal injury is affecting his ball toss but, for me, more concerning is his own recent admission: “I need to get a little faster physically.” Court coverage has always been a major asset of Nadal’s but, and this is a cruel thing to say, I fear he’s lost a yard.
So, as Father Time advances, and to be fair at 36 he is only one year older than Djokovic, winning the Australian Open will be a lot more difficult for Nadal. As defending champion and world No.2, he is certainly in the conversation. However, for Aussies wishing to see the great Spaniard, I’d suggest enjoy him while you can.
Paul McNamee won the Wimbledon doubles title twice, won the mixed doubles, and was Australian Open tournament director for 12 years.
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