Do not write off Rafael Nadal just yet

Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from 2018 Paris Masters at the last minute due to abdominal pain is a continuation of his long struggles with injury. Though the two other members of the Big Three of tennis – Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – have had their fair share of injury problems, it is Nadal whose career has suffered the most because of injuries.

In this season itself, he has retired from two important Grand Slam matches due to injury. He retired at the quarter-final stage in Australian Open and again had to retire during his semi-final tie with Del Potro at the US Open. It is mostly his fragile knee and wrist that have been causing him problems throughout his career.

Many experts consider that his physical style of play where he exerts utmost pressure on his body for every single shot, is what makes him the most injury-prone among the big three. With this latest injury issue, many feel that this could be hastening the end to his career.

But the fact is such apprehensions of Nadal not being able to have a long career, owing to the physical nature of his game, have been expressed for almost a decade. He has proved the naysayers wrong time and time again. The fact that even after crossing 30, he has been able to win majors not just in his favoured French Open, but also on the hard courts of US Open, is proof of how he has been able to fight through injuries to be the best player in the world.

Nadal will be a top contender to win his 12th French Open in 2019

Many point at how Roger Federer has been managing his schedule intelligently to prolong his career. But it should also be noted that Nadal too has been very careful in managing his injuries. He understands that the clay court season gives him the best chance to add to his Grand Slam and Masters tally. He has been extremely cautious in ensuring that he does not miss the clay court season at any cost.

He has missed some Grand Slams due to injury, but never the French Open. Only in 2016, he had to withdraw in the third round due to an elbow injury. Otherwise, he has played in every single French Open since 2005. After retiring from Paris Masters today, he mentioned that it is not his knee or wrist, rather an abdominal pain which prevented him from participating in the tournament. Even though he felt ready to play, his doctors advised him rest to prevent aggravating the injury.

There is a possibility he may withdraw from the ATP World Tour Finals too, if he feels that he is not fully fit or feels that it will aggravate the injury. He has lost his number 1 ranking to Djokovic by not playing in the Paris Masters. But Paris and the year-end ATP Tour finals are his least successful events - he has never managed to win either of the tournaments.

He has taken the wise decision of resting his body and allowing himself to fully heal during the two tournaments where he has historically struggled. He would rather be fully fit when the new season begins, so that when the clay court season comes, he is ready to win yet another French Open and a few more Masters events too.

Don’t give up on Nadal yet. He still has a few more years of top-notch tennis left in him.