Spanish former tennis star Carla Suarez Navarro believes Rafael Nadal’s retirement from tennis is right around the corner, admitting she doesn’t think her compatriot is ‘what he used to be’. After a sensational start to the 2022 season, Nadal’s injury issues have been a thorn in his side once again.
Nadal picked up his 21st and 22nd Grand Slam titles by winning the Australian Open and French Open earlier in the season. But his dreams of the Calendar Slam ended with a semi-final withdrawal at Wimbledon and he last competitively played at the US Open, losing in the last 16 against Frances Tiafoe.
With Nadal’s return to action up in the air and one of the fellow greats of his era, Roger Federer, calling time on his career this year, retirement speculation is growing. And Navarro has talked up the possibility of the 36-year-old walking away from the sport, hailing teenage superstar Carlos Alcaraz as the heir to the king of Spanish tennis.
She said: “Rafa is still around, but these are the last years of his career. Time passes for everyone, and he has been subjected to great consumption. Physically he’s not what he used to be, although mentally, he will always surprise us. Young players are coming, and we’re lucky that we have Carlitos [Carlos Alcaraz]. We should enjoy him, and I think he will give us a lot of success in the future.”
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Nadal was most recently in action with Federer at the Laver Cup as the Swiss icon bid farewell to tennis. And Navarro also paid tribute to Federer, branding him an inspiration for every sports fan and hailing the legacy he has trailblazed in tennis.
“Every person who loves sport loves Roger Federer,” Navarro added. “That is his legacy. To say that he is the best ever is complicated, but we can argue that he changed tennis and sport. We all wanted to be like him.”
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