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Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal's remarks that he would prefer his son not to pursue tennis as a career have elicited a range of comments from fans, who agree that it is not easy to be a son of a legendary player.
In an interview with Spanish broadcaster La Sexta, Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slams, said that he would like his son to play another sport. However, the Spaniard asserted that he would support him 100 percent, if he wanted to play tennis.
"I would prefer him to do another sport. When I say that, it hurts me, because of everything it has given me. If he wants to play tennis, I would support him 100%, but if he plays another sport, the better," Nadal said about his expectations of Rafa, his one-year-old son, in the interview.
Fans jokingly said that Rafael Nadal's decision must have been prompted by his anxiety that his son would one day beat his impressive record at Grand Slams and on the red clay of Roland Garros. It is worth noting that Nadal has won 14 French Open titles, the most by a player at a single Grand Slam event.
"He doesn't want to beat him to win RG (Roland Garros) 2045," a fan posted on Reddit. "You can go engineer some French Open wins, no?" another fan said.
"Rafa Jr: Dad I want to be a tennis player! Rafa: no more than 22 grand slams ok?" a fan wrote on Reddit.
Agreeing with Rafael Nadal's decision, fans said that individual sports like tennis are tough both on the body and the mind. They added that tennis players have to sacrifice a lot from a young age and people around them.
"Individual sports are so tough to go pro in. Nobody really wants to watch the 250th best tennis play whereas the 1000th best soccer player is on a team with lots of fans," a fan said on Reddit.
"Totally understand. I forget which player said it during 'Break Point' but I didn’t realize how selfish the life of a tennis player is. Everyonein your orbithas to revolve their lives around you. There is a huge personal sacrifice but also the sacrifice of many others from a fairly young age. And while youget to enjoythe success 100% yourself, you also have to endure the failures 100% yourself without any teammates to lean on for support. Not an easy life for sure," another fan said.
Here are some more reactions:
Rafael Nadal withdraws from Qatar Open
Rafael Nadal has pulled out of the Qatar Open, an ATP-250 tournament, which starts on February 19, stating that he is not ready to compete. The former No. 1 player returned to professional tennis at Brisbane International last month after spending almost a year on the sidelines due to a hip injury.
His comeback was cut short after he sustained an injury to his left leg during the quarterfinals at Brisbane. As a result, the Spaniard did not play at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.
"I don't know which events I have left to play but between you and me, it's not going to be many," Nadal told Spanish broadcaster La Sexta.
Nadal hopes to compete at this year's French Open and the Olympics, which is being held in Paris.
"I'd like to play at the Olympics as well. It's not something that I can confirm right now, but I hope I will....I think I will," Nadal, who won the singles gold at Beijing in 2008, said in the interview. "(Roland Garros) will be one of my goals," he said.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
