ARTICLES:
- Grigor Dimitrov claims Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal is ‘the worst thing’ after ending title drought | tennishead.net
And Dimitrov was asked about Nadal’s news in press, “Yeah, that sucks. Is it the same injury? What can I say? This is the worst thing that can happen.”
The 32-year-old went onto reveal that he had planned to practice with Nadal prior to the first major of 2024, “I hope it’s not too bad, for sure. I actually have a practice with him this week. I guess that’s not going to happen.
“I watched him practice a few times here. I always like watching him play regardless whether it’s a practice or a match. I mean, for sure that’s disappointing. Much more to him than anybody else. I was really looking forward to that.”
- Will Rafa come back to Melbourne? Craig Tiley is counting on it | watoday.com.au
At age 37 and with 22 grand slam titles to his name, including at the 2009 and 2022 Australian Opens, Nadal has nothing left to prove, but Tiley is holding out hope he will play in the country again.
“I’m absolutely planning on seeing him next year,” Tiley said.
“I’m planning to see him tonight [Monday] for a private catch-up, as we always do before he leaves town in the next few days, and I’ll ask him that same question. But Rafa is the kind of player who, as long as he’s fit, and feels like he’s healthy, and can play, he’ll be out there playing – he loves to play. Of course, we would love to have him back in Melbourne, under any circumstance, whether he’s playing or whatever else he’s doing … we will provide him every opportunity to come back and play.”
- Rafael Nadal ‘maybe the most important tennis player of all time’ says Mats Wilander after Australian Open withdrawal | Eurosport
“I think it would be nice to see him healthy, maybe come to the French Open, play one more time, maybe win a couple of matches and lose to somebody that he deserves to,” Wilander continued.
“Lose to a younger player, or maybe a colossus, maybe Novak Djokovic. But we’re hoping for miracles, and the miracles might not happen.
“To see him play one more time in Brisbane was brilliant, to see the passion, to see him sweating like nobody else. I think that’s the memory that I will have with Rafa, not the press message which says that, ‘Unfortunately, I have to pull out of the Australian Open’.
“I’m not looking at that. I’m looking at the last image of Nadal with him sweating, missing match points in Brisbane against Jordan Thompson. That’s my memory. He’s one of the greatest players of all time, and maybe the most important professional tennis player of all time.”
- Nadal’s trap and the faint hope of Argentina and Brazil | claytennis.com
And before the orange spring in Europe comes the faint hope of the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires and 500 in Rio de Janeiro, two tournaments Nadal won in his time. Playing in South America to add matches and confidence for Europe and Roland Garros was a good recipe after other long breaks.
One of the two tournaments acknowledged CLAY that the hope of having Nadal is real, although the doubt prevails: “He will be without playing several weeks, we do not know if he would reach the South American tour”.
Buenos Aires is played between 12 and 18 February, while Rio takes place the following week, from 19 to 25.
- The Agony and Ecstasy of Rafael Nadal | nymag.com
Come June, the sun will set on a Sunday afternoon after the final day of play at Roland-Garros. In the movie version, Nadal’s career ends here with him lifting the trophy for the 15th time. The thing that began in 2005, after two weeks of skids and slides, blood, sweat, disappointment, and euphoria, comes home to rest. If Federer’s last dance through a protracted series of losses is anything to go by, that’s not how it will happen. But if there’s anyone who could do it once more, one last reprimand to time and age and the frailties of the human body, it’s Rafael Nadal.
PHOTOS: Like father, like son! A beaming Rafael Nadal gives his baby boy Rafa Junior a tennis racquet and dotes on the one-year-old in Australia | Daily Mail Australia
Rafael Nadal has been pictured spending quality time with his father and baby son in a Brisbane park before flying back to Spain to get medical attention for the injury that ruined his comeback at the Australian Open.
Social media related to Rafa:
According to Tennis365 our old friend Craig Tilley says that Rafa will play at Indian Wells and also be playing in February. Supposedly Rafa told this to Tilley at lunch before Rafa left Australia. Not sure we can count on this since Rafa had not yet been examined by his doctors in Barcelona at that point. Will Rafa play Carlos at their scheduled Las Vegas exhibition in February?
Alcaraz-Nadal exhibition is scheduled for March 3, actually. I’m hoping he’ll skip HC tournaments and focus on clay season, RG and Olympics are so important for Rafa at this point. HC isn’t doing anything good to his body.
Enjoy the time with your family❤️
For Rafa, pain of the injury, the loss in Brisbane and withdrawal from the AO is relieved, in part, by having fun with his beloved son. It’s certainly a welcomed distraction for Rafa, as we can see from the smile on his face.
What on earth is Mats Wilander talking about? We don’t want to see Rafa lose early at RG and certainly not to Djokovic. I hope that the stars are aligned for our champ and I wish him the very best ❤️
Special memories 🥰 All the best Rafa ❤️
Baby Rafa is so cute!
Absolutely! I am not one who generally fusses over toddlers but Rafa Junior is really cute and will no doubt turn out to be a very handsome young man. I think it is great that Rafa has been able to spend so much quality time with his son in his first year. That is time you don’t get back. Not that I wanted Rafa to be injured of course.