Nadal is “maybe the most important player of all time”, says Wilander

Rafael Nadal deserves the chance to say goodbye to tennis on his own terms, says the seven-time Grand Slam champion

Rafael Nadal at the US Open in 2022 (Antoine Couvercelle/Panoramic)

January 11, 2024

Rafael Nadal will not be playing at the Australian Open this year, and Mats Wilander says he hopes the Spaniard will get to retire on his own terms – perhaps at his beloved Roland-Garros.

“For me, all I really want to see from Rafa Nadal is that he says farewell when he wants to say farewell, not when he’s forced to say farewell, and I think at the moment the injury world is not being very kind,” Wilander said to Eurosport.

Nadal – who turns 38 this year – suffers with a chronic foot issue and has been struggling with a number of other injuries over the last two years.

He has hinted heavily that 2024 may be his last year on the tour while at the same time urging fans to manage their expectations of him.

Wilander: Miracles might not happen

“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 – lose to a younger player, or maybe a colossus, maybe Novak Djokovic,” added Wilander. “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.”