American tennis legend and ESPN commentator John McEnroe predicted on Monday that Rafael Nadal could be out of action if he suffers another injury problem at Roland Garros in May. did.
McEnroe made the comments a day after Nadal withdrew from the Australian Open due to a small tear in a muscle in his hip.
“I think Rafa was hoping, 'I hope I'm ready for France, but I want you to see if my body can hold up there,'” McEnroe told reporters at the Australian Open press conference. He told the group. “Otherwise he won't be playing anymore. Rafa was great in this game so we all obviously expect what he can do. We'll see him as much as we can.” I want to stay.”
Nadal has been plagued by injuries since tearing his hip flexor in a loss to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of last year's Australian Open.
The injury ultimately sidelined him for the entire 2023 season, and he underwent surgery in June.
Nadal recently returned to the court for his comeback when he competed at the Brisbane International and won his first two matches.
Nadal ultimately lost to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals, but in that match Nadal was required to take a medical timeout and tests revealed a laceration.
Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during his career, two fewer than rival Novak Djokovic.
“It's very unfortunate for Rafa that he can't come to Melbourne,” said American tennis legend and ESPN analyst Mary Jo Fernandez. “I was really excited to have him back. I saw some of his games last week and I thought he looked really good after not playing in a year. I was hitting the ball.
“The injury is tough. The matches have become very physical, so I think the goal will be the France team and Rafa's Olympics. His level was pretty high right away, so I'm optimistic about tennis. I think it's important right now to take care of my body and stay healthy.''
