Rafael Nadal has yet to return to the ATP Tour, raising concerns among the Madrid Open director and friend of Spanish king, Feliciano Lopez, who recently compared Nadal's injury to Roger Federer. Nadal has been absent since the Australian Open, and despite sharing videos of his training on social media, the 36-year-old said he was "not ready" for the Barcelona Open, which took place this week. Lopez, who has partnered Nadal to win the Davis Cup for Spain three times, expressed concern for his close friend, "As a friend, I'm more worried. ”
Nadal's continued failure to return has raised concerns
He continued: "In tennis, obviously, I am worried that he will be able to play again, that he will be ready at Roland Garros, which is my main focus. But on a personal level, I'm more worried that a player who has been successful all his life is going through all this now, so hopefully he will recover quickly and it would be great if he could be in Madrid. Lopez will be in his final year of the Tour in 2023, but he has been the tournament director of the Madrid Masters since 2019 and has therefore taken on post-retirement responsibilities.
Once the big three of men's tennis, Federer on the left has retired.
The prestigious tennis tournament will start next week and despite doubts about Nadal's attendance, Lopez is "hopeful": "People are waiting for him, they really want to see him play, the people of Madrid give him a lot of love every time he plays, so I fear that this problem will last longer." ”
Spanish tennis is full of talents, with Alcaraz on the left.
Lopez added: "Nadal is going through all this and it makes me sad, like Federer, he had to retire. I hope Nadal's injury won't be that serious and he'll be back in 1-2 weeks. The former world top ten also reflected on the current state of tennis in Spain, as well as the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz, "In a country that is not a world power, after having the best player in history, Nadal, it is a miracle that a figure like Alcaraz appears. The Spanish sports world is excited about it. We're talking about Alcaraz winning a Grand Slam at the age of 19 and becoming the number one in the world, I don't know how many players in history can have that feat. Beyond his talent, what I felt was the sense of dominance he transmitted. ”
Although the Madrid Grand Prix (Spain's only Masters) is not Nadal's most dominant clay event, he still won the title five times. Here are the 22-time Grand Slam champion's last five victories in the Spanish capital:
In the 2005 final, Nadal defeated Ivan Lyubisic 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6 (3).
In the 2010 final, Nadal defeated Roger Federer 6–4 7–6 (5).
In the 2013 final, Nadal defeated Stan Wawrinka 6–2, 6–4
In the 2014 final, Nadal defeated Kei Nishikori 2–6, 6–4, 3–0 (retired)
In the 2017 final, Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 7-6 (8) 6-4