"I thought I lost the power with the new clothes" - When Rafael Nadal joked about regretting abandoning his sleeveless look for Australian Open 2009

In 2005, Rafael Nadal took the tennis world by surprise not just because of his impeccable level of tennis but also his unusual fashion style. He won the 2005 French Open, the first of his 22 Grand Slam titles, wearing a sleeveless green shirt and a pair of white pirate pants.

It became a talking point among experts and fans as the majority of them ridiculed the Spaniard for his clothes. However, with the player achieving more and more success on the tour, everyone got used to it and even started liking his trademark sleeveless tops and capri pants. He decided to change his attire after the 2008 season and started wearing regular t-shirts and above-the-knee shorts.

His new clothes did not cause him any trouble, thankfully, and he won the 2009 Australian Open to lift his sixth overall Major. It was also his first Grand Slam trophy on a hard court. He defeated Roger Federer 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 in one of the most thrilling finals when the Swiss icon was aiming to equal Pete Sampras' record of 14 Majors.

In his post-match press conference, Nadal was asked if he was worried about his new clothes. He smiled and joked that he thought he lost his powers because of a change of clothes.

"I was completely worried about that (smiles). I thought I lost the power with the new clothes (laughs). C'mon," he said.

The 36-year-old once again surprised his fans years later when he returned to the 2018 Australian Open with tank tops and repeated them a year later. When John McEnroe asked the Mallorcan the reason for going back to sleeveless shirts in 2019, Nadal said that the hot and humid weather conditions in Australia made it difficult for him to hit his powerful forehand.

“I have small issues when I’m playing in very hot conditions when I hit my forehand, so I like to play without the sleeves. It makes me feel younger again," he said.

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Nadal and Djokovic finishing with 22 Majors would be great for me: Mats Wilander

Novak Djokovic won his 22nd Major at the 2023 Australian Open

Former World No. 1 Mats Wilander recently remarked that he would like to see Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic end their careers with 22 Grand Slam titles each. The Swede disliked the notion of one of them running away with 25 or 26 Majors, as it would take away the thrill of the GOAT debate.

"If they both end up tied with 22, great for me. I think both would prefer to share the spotlight and not take Federer out of the equation. I think we don't want one of the two to run away with 25 or 26 Grand Slams," Wilander said.

With the duo now tied in the Slam race, they will be hoping to leapfrog each other at the 2023 French Open, which is scheduled to be played from May 28 to June 11. Nadal is the defending champion, having defeated Casper Ruud in the final last year, while Djokovic faced a quarterfinal exit at the hands of the Mallorcan.