Boris Becker wishes Rafael Nadal a full recovery, calls him 'the king on clay'

Tennis legend Boris Becker has claimed that tennis will miss Rafael Nadal, who will miss the 2023 French Open due to a hip injury.

Nadal announced during a press conference on May 18 that he is withdrawing from the 2023 French Open because of an injury he sustained during the 2023 Australian Open.

The tennis world reacted with sadness to the unexpected news and the legendary Boris Becker wasn't an exception.

"Get well and fully recover, but tennis will miss you," Boris Becker wrote in his Instagram story.

Nadal will miss the French Open for the first time since 2004. He has won a record 14 titles in Paris and 22 Grand Slams in total, which ties Novak Djokovic for the all-time Grand Slams won record.

"The king on clay," Boris Becker added in another story.

Boris Becker calls Rafael Nadal the king on clay in his Instagram story

It is currently unknown when exactly Nadal will be back on Tour, with there being a possibility that he doesn't play another French Open ever again. He stated in his press conference that he could retire in 2024.

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What Rafael Nadal did on clay will most likely never be repeated

Rafael Nadal Photocall After French Open 2022 Victory

Rafael Nadal has been the most successful player in history on clay courts. He has a 63–8 record in clay court tournament finals and has lost only three times in best-of-five-set matches on clay.

Nadal has won 14 French Open titles, where he is unbeaten in the finals. He has also won 12 Barcelona Open titles (unbeaten in finals), 11 Monte Carlo Masters titles, and 10 Rome Masters titles. The Spaniard has won at least one of the three clay court Masters 1000 tournaments every year between 2005 and 2014.

His ninth French Open crown in 2014 made him the first man in the Open Era to win a single tournament nine times. In the process, he broke a 32-year record held by Guillermo Vilas, who won the Buenos Aires title eight times. He subsequently won his ninth title at three more tournaments: 2016 Monte Carlo, 2016 Barcelona, and the 2019 Italian Open.

In 2018, he became the sole record-holder for most titles at the ATP 500 (Barcelona), Masters 1000 (Monte Carlo), and Grand Slam (French Open) levels.

Nadal is also the record holder for the longest single-surface win streak in Open Era history. He won 81 consecutive matches on clay between April 2005 and May 2007.

He won the French Open in his most recent appearance at the tournament in 2022 losing just three sets on his way to the title. He beat Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet, Botic van de Zandschulp, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev (retired), and Casper Ruud.