John McEnroe makes revealing Rafael Nadal retirement claim after Australian Open injury setback

Ewan West 09 Jan 2024 3:08 PM

Rafael Nadal waves in Brisbane

Tennis legend John McEnroe believes fellow great Rafael Nadal will retire from the sport if his body does not hold up for him to play the French Open after his latest setback.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion expressed his hope to see the Spanish icon play for as long as possible because he has been “amazing for the game.”

Nadal has withdrawn from the 2024 Australian Open, which will begin in Melbourne on Sunday January 14, due to a hip muscle injury that surfaced during his comeback at last week’s Brisbane International.

The 37-year-old was beaten by world No 55 Jordan Thompson at the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane on Friday in a three-set quarter-final marathon lasting three hours and 24 minutes.

The former world No 1 had looked set to beat Thompson and book his place in the semi-finals, but he was unable to convert the three match points he had in the second set.

The 22-time major winner left the court to receive treatment when trailing 1-4 in the deciding set, having appeared to feel his hip area between points.

Prior to Brisbane, Nadal had not competed since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open due to a hip injury. The former world No 1 underwent arthroscopic surgery to treat the psoas muscle in his hip in June last year.

“During my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried,” Nadal explained.

“Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.

“Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in five sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest.

Speaking to ESPN, McEnroe gave his thoughts on Nadal being forced to miss the year’s first Grand Slam and how long he might keep playing.

“I’m not even remotely comparing myself to Rafa, but in my mind the few times I played Australia was to sort of get ready for the rest of the year. The timing was tough to seemingly to be able to put all the chips on the table early on,” the former world No 1 said.

“Players have now accepted that the Australian Open has gotten closer in importance with Wimbledon and the US [Open]. When I was playing, the top guys didn’t even play. It’s come a long way.

“I think Rafa was hoping, ‘hopefully I’ll be ready for the French, see if my body holds up there.’ If it doesn’t, I think you’ll see him not play anymore. We’re all obviously hopeful he can because Rafa has been amazing for the game. We’d like to see him as long as we can.”

Former world No 4 and three-time major finalist Mary Joe Fernandez is confident Nadal will be a threat at the French Open and the Olympics if he returns to fitness.

“For Rafa, big bummer that he’s not going to be in Melbourne. I was really excited to have him back. I watched some of his matches last week and thought he looked very good for not having played in one year. He was striking the ball really well,” the American assessed.

“The injuries are tough. The game has become so physical that I think the goal will be the French and the Olympics for Rafa. I think tennis-wise he’s optimistic because his level was quite high right away.

“It’s a matter now of managing the body and seeing if he can be healthy. If he’s healthy, then he’s definitely going to be a contender.”