"If it is the end, it would be because of something more mental than physical" - Horacio Zeballos on Rafael Nadal's struggles this season

Doubles specialist Horacio Zeballos reckons Rafael Nadal ending his career could be due to more mental issues than physical ones after his latest injury setback.

The former World No. 1 has struggled since suffering an abdominal tear at Wimbledon last year. Nadal has gone 5-8 since then, including three losses in four matches this year, sparking talk of an impending retirement.

The 36-year-old saw his title defense at the Australian Open last month end in a whimper. Afflicted by a hip injury, he went down to Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets in the second round and faces 6-8 weeks out of action. He's on the entry list at Indian Wells next month, but the tournament could come too soon for him.

In an interview with CLAY, Zeballos said that Nadal's injury woes could be more mental than physical as he nears the end of his career.

"If it is the end, it would be because of something more mental than physical. It is very difficult to say because he has surprised us many times with his ability to come back so well after injuries. I speak to you as a tennis fan more than from logic. I hope he will be there this year because it is very nice to see him play," he said

Zeballos, though, hasn't ruled out the Spaniard bouncing back from injury once again.

“Like Federer, like Djokovic, Nadal have shown that he can stop and come back with inhuman achievements. He gets injured and then wins, I don’t know, how many more Grand Slams. Age does not help things to be the same as 10 years ago. Seems difficult for him to return to the top level he has shown for so many years, but he never ceases to amaze us. Let’s hope he comes back strongly,” he added.

For the first time in his career, the 22-time Grand Slam winner opened a season with successive losses.

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"I beat him in a final; the memories are very clear" - Horacio Zeballos on Rafael Nadal

The Spaniard lost to Zeballos in the 2013 Vina del Mar final.

Rafael Nadal is known as the king of clay and for good reason. He has a 474-45 record on red dirt, winning 63 titles, including a record 14 at Roland Garros.

However, Zeballos is one of a handful of players to have beaten his fellow left-hander in a claycourt final, doing so at 2013 Vina de Mar. Talking about that match, the Argentine said he was extremely proud of that memory.

"I beat him in a final! Yes, yes obviously. I didn’t want him not to lose any more, so I could be the last one who had beaten him. I also didn’t want to play me again, so that the record would stick to one to one. ... It was a source of pride for me, I’ll never forget it. Ten years have passed, and I remember it like it was yesterday. Perfectly. The memories are very clear," Zeballos said.

Nadal holds a 2-1 H2H record over Zeballos.