Evenings in Paris have a life of their own. The air is filled with romance, even as the city turns into one massive stage for those wishing to live their dreams. Inside the Philippe Chatrier though there was a sudden sense of suspended gloom, soon as it was announced that Rafael Nadal was about to address an impromptu presser a little after 0500pm. Nadal interrupted the curious stillness, walking into the main press room at the Roland Garros with a morose look on his face and a cast on his left wrist.
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The romantic spell of Paris was broken as it dawned that the emperor was to depart long before the outcome of the battle had been decided. As the sun sank on Paris later in the evening, so it did on an impossibly glorious career for Nadal on clay. You might argue there is another comeback in the tank, but there are a new generation of stars knocking at the Citadel. It will become increasingly difficult for Rafa to remain the emperor he has been.
The king was dressed alright, but his armour wasn’t battle ready. As the murmurs grew into a noisy stupor, Nadal occupied the hot seat, accompanied by tournament director Guy Forget. It was all too clear Nadal was not ready to play anymore, but the air inside that room must have felt heavy for the press corps, increasingly pregnant with a truckload of questions.
After all, this is no ordinary tournament. Nadal reigned over Parisien clay as no man has ever done in the cherished history of tennis. The Spaniard is an undisputed king, the emperor of red dirt - nine French Open crowns and 49 titles on clay offer testimony to his unprecedented dominance. Incredibly, Nadal accumulated a 363-34 win-loss record on clay, losing just two matches in his career at the French Open.
This isn’t the first time that Nadal has surrendered ahead of a key battle. He had withdrawn before the semifinals in Miami 2012 and quarters in Estoril 2014. But this one seems far weightier and in a sense feels far more foreboding than anything has ever been in the injury-laden career of Nadal.
Is an era coming to an end? Perhaps.
Nadal hasn’t reached a grand slam final in two years. His last big final was the French Open final in 2014 when he defeated Novak Djokovic to clinch his ninth Roland Garros title. Nadal’s recent run of success in Madrid and Barcelona raised hopes of “La Decima” but they have been consigned to the red dust now.
Nadal will celebrate his 30th birthday on June 03, with his left wrist immobilised. Back, shoulder, knee and even stomach - the Spaniard is a veteran of ailments, perhaps as knowledgeable as an average doctor on the science of suffering. So while the birthday may not entirely feel strange, even with a cast on his arm, he will begin to wonder if he can indeed make another great comeback after dealing with his traumatised left wrist.
While the man from Mallorca has made some stirring comebacks from injury, time may finally be running out for the hard hitting Nadal. The left-hander plays a physically heavy game - striking a venomous forehand designed specifically to put enormous spin on the ball. Nadal has built his empire on the strength of his phenomenal forehand, nimble feet and an undying love for scrapping with opponents.
The last of those skills will always remain in Nadal’s treasure of tools, but the body is aching more and more as it ages. And the power of his forehand and the famed ability to run around his backhand aren't coming as easy as they did during the prime of his career.
Another tool that Nadal unleashed on his opponents was an incessantly deep ball. But after several interventions on his knees, a hurting back and now the wrist will mean that Nadal has to make a few more compromises whenever he returns from his enforced bout of rest.
“I have to retire from the tournament because of a problem in my wrist that I have had for a couple of weeks,” informed Nadal, to a stunned collection of the press corps. “Yesterday I played with an injection in my wrist. Last night I started to feel more and more pain.”
“I know that I cannot finish the tournament,” added Nadal, quickly borrowing a line out of Roger Federer’s book. “It’s part of life and I hope to be back at Roland Garros for many years to come”. Easier said than done, especially considering the brutally physical nature of Nadal’s game.
A few things stand out for Nadal - a warrior like resilience supported by a chiseled body with a quick pair of feet and eyes that stay on the ball like a hawk’s on its prey. Nadal’s success stemmed from his ability to rule with an iron fist, playing a flat spinning ball while staying on the top of the baseline.
In the past two years though, Nadal has been increasingly sliding well beyond the baseline. The shift in position has clearly dimmed his influence over the key skirmishes that determine the outcome of a contest.
First of all, Nadal has been forced to play a loopier ball, compromising the degree of revolutions on the ball. Second, he is giving away too much open court every time he is choosing to run around a ball to play it off his forehand.
It is increasingly difficult to see Nadal exercise his enormous influence in Paris - with a suspect back, fragile knees and now the wrist filling his once impregnable mind with a steady repository of doubt. He might still win plenty of matches on clay, but the biggest events are more than likely to be hijacked by a growing number of pirates invading Nadal’s empire.
The one thing that Nadal can be certain of is a grand legacy. Since winning the French Open as a 19-year-old in 2005, Nadal has achieved inconceivable greatness through his dominance at Roland Garros. But more importantly, Nadal has shown a massive appetite for adaptation, working insanely hard to impose himself on the grass meadows of Wimbledon and on the synthetic courts in Melbourne and New York.
Nadal will always have an immortal place in tennis, but there is no doubt that mortality is finally catching up with the never say die Spaniard.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
