Rafael Nadal labelled ‘maybe the most important player of all time’ by tennis great

Ewan West 11 Jan 2024 12:23 PM

Rafael Nadal setting records on his comeback to the ATP Tour

Tennis legend Mats Wilander has declared that Rafael Nadal is “maybe the most important professional tennis player of all time”, as well as being one of the greatest players ever.

The former world No 1 also expressed his hope that Nadal will get the chance to have a fitting farewell to his career but was concerned that the “miracles” needed for that might not happen.

Nadal pulled out the 2024 Australian Open, which begins on Sunday January 14, due to a hip injury he suffered in his three-set quarter-final defeat to Jordan Thompson at the Brisbane International last week.

The 22-time major champion was unable to convert the three match points he created in the second set against the Australian. The former world No 1 then left the court to receive treatment when trailing 1-4 in the third set, before losing the set 3-6.

Prior to Brisbane, Nadal had not played a singles match since losing to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, where he sustained a hip injury. The Spaniard underwent arthroscopic surgery to treat the psoas muscle in his hip in June 2023.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander conveyed his wish for Nadal to end his career on his own terms, like fellow legends Roger Federer and Serena Williams did in 2022.

“We want him to be able to say farewell, of course. I’m not really sure what that farewell is supposed to look like,” the Swede told Eurosport.

“Obviously, we had maybe one of the greatest farewells ever with Roger Federer at the Laver Cup in the O2 Arena. It wasn’t unexpected that he was eventually going to say farewell but it wasn’t a very serious day of tennis.

“He got to play doubles with Rafa Nadal, he lost against the American team and it was just a happy day, even though Federer lost. It was on his terms in a way. Yes, he was injured, but he just got older.

“We had the farewell of Serena Williams a couple of years ago at the US Open, which was amazing. She filled the stadium she beat Annett [Kontaveit] in.

“Maybe we won’t get the same farewell. 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 suggested the French Open could be the tournament where Nadal’s farewell takes place, while he hailed the Mallorcan’s impact of the sport.

“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,” he continued.

“Lose to a younger player, or maybe a colossus, maybe Novak Djokovic. 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.”