Boris Becker admits he fears we may have just witnessed Rafael Nadal’s last Australian Open appearance. On Wednesday, Nadal exited the Australian Open in a devastating way as he was severely hampered by a hip injury during a 6-4 6-4 7-5 loss to Mackenzie McDonald.
Moments after the match, Nadal took some time to wave an emotional goodbye to fans at Rod Laver Arena. It looked as if Nadal was waving one final goodbye to fans at Melbourne Park. “These are heartbreaking pictures of Mrs Nadal, who knows her husband better than anyone else and knows that Rafa is not faking anything here.
He is perhaps the best fighter, the best competitor tennis has ever had. If he has to go down on his knees at the end and then takes a long goodbye to his audience in Melbourne, then those are clear signs for me,” Becker said on his Eurosport show “Matchball Becker.”
Becker: I don’t know if we will see Nadal at the Australian Open again
“We talked for a long time about the change of generations – we’re watching it live right now.
Roger Federer is no longer playing and there are a lot of question marks behind Nadal now. I think he will want to play Paris again. But I don’t know if he will take on Australia again. That’s why we should celebrate him as long as we have him,” Becker added.
Unfortunately, the last few years haven’t been easy for Nadal. After missing almost the entire second half of the 2021 season due to a foot injury, Nadal battled foot, rib and abdominal injuries in 2022. Now, Nadal is battling a hip injury at the start of the 2023 season.
Nadal, who will be turning 37 in early June, is definitely not in an easy position. However, on thing is for sure – Nadal won’t go down without a fight and he will certainly do his best to make at least one more successful return to tennis.
