Tag: Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal has delivered a light-hearted update on his fitness, joking that he will miss the Australian Open 2026, shortly after Roger Federer’s return to the Melbourne Park spotlight was confirmed.

Federer, who retired following the 2022 Laver Cup, is set to appear at the Australian Open’s inaugural opening ceremony next month.

The six-time Australian Open champion will take part in an exhibition event titled Battle of the World No. 1s, alongside Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt, as part of the tournament’s new ceremonial launch.

Reflecting on his connection with Melbourne, Federer said the Australian Open holds some of the most special moments of his career, including his emotional comeback title in 2017 and a successful title defence in 2018.

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He expressed excitement about returning to Rod Laver Arena and reconnecting with Australian fans.

While Federer prepares for his ceremonial comeback, his long-time rival, Rafael Nadal, shared a contrasting update on social media.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion posted a photo on Instagram showing his right hand in a brace following surgery, accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek caption suggesting he would not be able to play the Australian Open in 2026.

“Looks like I won’t be able to play the Australian Open 2026,” Nadal joked, adding that the surgery was required to address an issue he had been dealing with for some time and that he hopes to recover fully soon.

 

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Nadal, who officially retired from professional tennis at the 2024 Davis Cup, remains one of the most decorated players in Australian Open history, having lifted the trophy twice.

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Carlos Alcaraz battled back to beat Casper Ruud 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday in Tokyo and reach his 10th final of a spectacular season, emulating fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

The world number one and US Open champion Alcaraz will face his Laver Cup conqueror, Taylor Fritz, in Tuesday’s decider of the Japan Open.

No man, since the legendary Rafael Nadal in 2017, has reached 10 finals in a season.

“Following his steps in making 10 finals in a season is something great,” said Alcaraz, who also set a new personal best of 66 wins in a season.

“Hopefully it’s not going to end here — a few tournaments ahead, hopefully (I’ll) get to the finals there as well.”

Alcaraz has wowed the crowds this week, but he was in danger of being outshone by Norway’s world number 12 Ruud, who pulled off a series of spectacular winners to take the first set.

Alcaraz, who suffered an ankle injury on Thursday in his opener, regained control in the second set before closing out the match with another ferocious display of power-hitting.

“Emotionally, it was really tough to deal with everything today,” he said.

“I’m really happy to be able to turn around everything, and I ended that match playing such great tennis. “I’m excited to be playing in another final.”

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His opponent will be world number five Taylor Fritz, who beat the Spanish superstar in San Francisco two weeks ago.

Fritz beat fellow American Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3 in the day’s other semi-final.

Alcaraz practiced with Fritz in Tokyo before the tournament began, and he described his final opponent as “a really difficult player to play against”.

“That practice gave me a really good feedback to how I should approach the match,” said Alcaraz.

“I will try to play my best tennis tomorrow — my Plan A, if I want to beat him — because his level is pretty high right now.”

Alcaraz picked up from where he left off in his quarter-final win over Brandon Nakashima, pounding Ruud with some huge forehands early in the match.

But the Norwegian had a few tricks up his sleeve as well, drawing applause from Alcaraz when he floated a winner to the baseline from a difficult angle.

Ruud took the first set when Alcaraz, beginning to show signs of frustration, hit a return long.

The 22-year-old came back strongly, sending down nine aces in the second set alone to tie up the match.

Alcaraz broke Ruud midway through the third set and never looked back, sealing victory with another jackhammer forehand.

“Physically, it can be better, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz, who has been playing with his ankle strapped since his injury.

“Just doing the best work that I can with my team, with my physio, and hopefully tomorrow it will be even better.”

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Rafael Nadal insisted on Monday that he doesn’t “miss tennis” after being honoured with a Sporting Icon award at the Laureus World Sport Awards in Madrid.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, winner of 22 Grand Slam trophies, including 14 at Roland Garros, retired from the sport after his final match at the Davis Cup in Malaga in November.

“The truth is that I don’t miss tennis. Zero. I don’t miss it at all,” Rafael Nadal told reporters. “But not because I finished tired of tennis or fighting against tennis, not at all.”

“I finished my career happy, and if I could have, I would have carried on, because I loved what I was doing.

“It was my passion, and that’s been the case all my life. It’s just that when you realise that physically you can’t do it any more… you try to close that chapter. And I closed it.”

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Rafael Nadal suffered numerous injuries during his career, but resisted retiring as long as possible.

“I delayed making my final decision because I needed time to be sure it was the right one,” he added. “What would have been hard was sitting on my sofa, wondering if I should keep trying to play.”

“When I saw that my body wasn’t going to recover to the level I needed to continue enjoying myself on court, then I made the decision to stop.

“That’s why I don’t miss it,” Nadal added. “Because I finished with the peace of mind of knowing that I’d given it my all, and that my body couldn’t give any more.”

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Legendary Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar recently compared star batter Virat Kohli with tennis legends Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Kohli, during the second innings of the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against Australia, etched his name in the history books as he struck his 30th century in the format, going past legendary Sir Don Bradman‘s tally of Test hundreds.

Kohli walked out to bat on the third day carrying the weight of four single-digit scores in his last five innings and a 16-month century drought. He last scored a century during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 semi-final against New Zealand.

However, he displayed a masterclass in strokeplay, marking his return to form with an unbeaten knock of 100 runs off 143 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes.

His innings propelled India to a commanding position before skipper Jasprit Bumrah declared with a staggering 533-run lead. In response, Australia crumbled to 238 all out in the final session on day four.

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Sunil Gavaskar praised Kohli for his brilliance and compared his recent struggles with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic’s occasional slumps.

“I said in commentary that Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal, they are title winners. But when they lose in the semi-finals of any tournament, people say that they are not in form. If anybody else makes it to the semis, they are praised,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.

“Similarly, with Virat Kohli, because everybody is so used to him scoring so many hundreds quite regularly in international cricket. And when he doesn’t score a century, even if he is getting 70-80, which a lot of players will be happy to get, people say he is not scoring runs and is out of form.

“But then again, Indian fans, they’re greedy fans. They’re not going to be happy with their idol scoring only 60-70s. They want their icons, their idols, to score hundreds, and that is the reason there was this little talk about, ‘Oh, he hasn’t got a hundred since July 2023.’ July 2023 is just about a year ago.”

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The glittering career of superstar Rafael Nadal in professional tennis came to an end on Tuesday as the Netherlands eliminated Spain in the Davis Cup quarter-finals.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, a 22-time Grand Slam winner, was defeated in the first singles rubber and after Carlos Alcaraz won the second match to send the tie to a doubles decider, the Dutch triumphed to snatch a 2-1 win.

Nadal was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Botic van de Zandschulp in the opening singles clash, before Alcaraz defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6 (7/0), 6-3.

In the deciding doubles rubber, Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof secured a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/3) victory to set up a semi-final clash with Canada or Germany.

After years ravaged by injuries and not having played an official singles match since July, doubts hung over Nadal’s involvement in the tie.

They were resolved when captain David Ferrer confirmed he would play in the first singles rubber of the opening finals clash.

Nadal appeared emotional during the Spanish national anthem, and over 10,000 fans filled the arena with chants of “Rafa, Rafa,” when it ended.

“I was having an emotional day, nerves before what could be my last singles match as a professional,” said Nadal. “The emotions of hearing the national anthem for the last time as a professional were very special.”

Rafael Nadal had won his last 29 Davis Cup singles matches out of 30 played — after debuting in the tournament in 2004.

Despite giving every ounce of his energy in the second set and buoyed by immense home support, Nadal fell short.

“In the beginning, I think we were both nervous… the crowd was tough, understandably,” said Van de Zandschulp. “That is what it is to play against Rafa in Spain — he is probably the biggest sportsman here in Spain that ever lived.”

Given his diminished physical condition Nadal, ranked 154th in the world, attempted to keep points short, with big serves and occasional flashes of his lethal forehand, followed by a classic fist pump and roar.

World number 80 Van de Zandschulp sought to put Nadal on his backhand and the indoor hard-court tournament was far from an ideal surface for the record 14-time Roland Garros winning ‘King of Clay’.

The Dutchman opened up two break points at 4-4 and took the second with a fine cross-court winner to claim the lead, and then converted his second set point to dampen Spanish spirits.

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Rafael Nadal fought back from 0-30 down at the start of the second set but could not convert it into a hold and his opponent secured the first break when the Spaniard went long, consolidating to ramp up the pressure.

Down a set and a break, Nadal, hunting for a foothold, survived heavy pressure on his serve in the third game for a nervy hold that led to the loudest roar of the night.

Van de Zandschulp broke for a second time to take a 4-1 lead but Nadal showed his never-say-die spirit by claiming a break back in the sixth game.

He consolidated, surviving a break point to claim back-to-back games for the first time, as he gave everything in what could prove his final match.

However, in the 10th and final game, Nadal went long to concede match point and then hit a shot into the net to hand his Dutch opponent victory.

“I’m not in the rhythm of competition,” admitted Nadal. “I’ve been self-critical enough with myself to improve, even when I’ve won — today I will not be tough on myself, this was all I had.”

Alcaraz kept Nadal’s dream of a final Davis Cup win alive with a strong performance in the second rubber.

“I did it for Rafa,” admitted the world number three after winning his singles match to force a doubles decider.

Alcaraz won all seven points in a first-set tie-break which ended Griekspoor’s resistance.

The world number 40 was unable to put pressure on Alcaraz’s serve and the Spaniard sealed the straight sets win to love in the ninth game.

He and Granollers came unstuck in the first set of the doubles with 35-year-old Koolhof, also retiring after the Davis Cup, in fine fettle at the net.

Spain took their third break point for a 2-1 lead in the second set to wrestle back in, but the Dutch got back on serve at 4-4 with a Van de Zandschulp cross-court winner.

Another tie-break ensued and the Dutch edged it again to bring the curtain down on Nadal’s career.

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Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal will cap his emotional farewell from tennis at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this week even if he admits he may not make it onto the courts.

Nadal, 38, has battled injuries over the past few years and the extent to which he can compete for his country is unknown, but all eyes will be on the 22-time Grand Slam winner.

The veteran led Spain to victory in Madrid five years ago — the last time they won the trophy and Nadal’s fourth.

“First off, we’ll have to see how I feel in training and, if I really don’t feel I have a chance to win the singles, I’ll be the first to not want to play,” Rafael Nadal said at the weekend.

“If I don’t feel ready, I’ll be the first to speak to the captain (David Ferrer). I’ve already told him on a few occasions not to make any decisions based on the fact that it’s my last week as a professional tennis player.”

French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will be Spain’s leading player and his presence offers Nadal a real chance of retiring on a high note.

“Probably one of the most special tournaments that I’m going to play. Last tournament of Rafa, I’ll be able to be next to him in the last moments on a tennis court for him,” said Alcaraz who played alongside Nadal in doubles at the Olympics in Paris this year.

“I think it’s most important for Rafa, for his last tournament. I really want him to retire with a title. It’s going to be really, really emotional and a really special tournament for me.”

Representing Spain, Nadal also won singles gold at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and triumphed in the doubles at Rio 2016 alongside Marc Lopez.

But former world number one Nadal’s injury setbacks in the twilight of his career have seen his ranking slump to 155.

The last of his 92 career titles came with his 14th French Open and 22nd major at Roland Garros in 2022.

He hasn’t played a competitive singles match since losing to Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics in July. In 2023, he played just four times.

Many are hoping for Spain and Alcaraz to meet world number one Jannik Sinner’s Italy, the defending champions, in the final, as the two young stars continue to build on a gripping rivalry.

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Record 32-time champions the United States have selected a strong team spearheaded by US Open finalist Taylor Fritz and are also among the most likely contenders.

Tennis greats and stars from other sports are among those clamouring to watch Nadal’s farewell, with career rivals Djokovic and Roger Federer among those expected to attend.

Spain face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the last eight, with the winner taking on Germany or Canada in the semi-finals.

“It’s amazing that it might be the last match that [Rafael] Nadal plays,” Dutch coach Paul Haarhuis said Sunday. “We hope to give him a nice adios!”

Italy ended a 47-year wait to win the Davis Cup again a year ago as they beat Australia in the final with Sinner as their key player and are favourites to defend their title.

The Australian Open and US Open winner is still waiting for an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency against him to be resolved.

Sinner twice tested positive for traces of an anabolic steroid in March but the International Tennis Integrity Agency cleared him of blame in August.

The 23-year-old heads to Malaga buoyed by lifting the ATP Finals title in Turin on Sunday.

Italy face Argentina in the quarter-finals with the winner taking on the United States or Australia.

Captained by Lleyton Hewitt, Australia were runners-up last year and are second only to the US in Davis Cup triumphs, winning the title 28 times.

US star Fritz, runner-up to Sinner at the ATP Finals, is also eager to pay tribute to Nadal.

“When I was a kid, I’d be on the court pretending I’m playing the French Open. He’s had a massive impact on my whole generation because we all grew up on watching him and Roger,” said Fritz who will rise to a career-high four in the world on Monday.

The Davis Cup final takes place next Sunday with all matches held at the indoor hard-court Martin Carpena arena.

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Novak Djokovic told old rival Rafael Nadal that his “legacy will live forever” after the Spanish great announced his retirement from tennis on Thursday.

“Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever,” 24-time Grand Slam title winner and fellow former world number one Djokovic wrote on Instagram.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal clashed 60 times in their careers with the Serb edging their rivalry 31-29.

They met for the first time at the French Open in 2006 when Nadal triumphed while Djokovic won their last clash, also on the courts of Roland Garros, at the Paris Olympics this year.

“Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport. You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for,” added Djokovic of Nadal, a 22-time major winner.

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Rafael Nadal will play his last tournament at the Davis Cup finals in Malaga in November.

“Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player,” added Djokovic.

“Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career.”

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Rafael Nadal announced on Thursday he will retire from professional tennis after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending a career in which he won 22 Grand Slam titles and Olympic singles gold.

“I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially,” Nadal said in a video on social media.

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make. But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end.”

The 38-year-old Spaniard is set to end his two decades as a professional with 92 titles and prize money alone of $135 million, his status long since secured as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Nadal has been included alongside Carlos Alcaraz in the Spain team as he bids to sign off with a fifth Davis Cup triumph in Malaga next month.

“I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined,” said Nadal.

“But I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country.”

“I think I’ve come full circle,” added Nadal, who won the Davis Cup for the first time as a teenager in 2004.

Rafael Nadal dominated the French Open where he won 14 of his majors, his first arriving just days after his 19th birthday in 2005, his last in 2022 briefly making him the event’s oldest champion before the record was eclipsed by Djokovic a year later.

On the famous crushed brick of Roland Garros, he lost just four times in 116 matches.

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He was also a four-time champion at the US Open and a two-time winner at the Australian Open, his first triumph coming in 2009; his second 13 years later.

Nadal also won Wimbledon twice, in 2008 and 2010 even though grass seemed to be the surface most likely to expose any shortcomings in his game.

His five-set victory over Roger Federer in the 2008 championship match, which ended in almost complete darkness at the All England Club, is widely regarded as the greatest Slam final ever played.

Nadal claimed a career Golden Slam when he took Olympic Games gold in 2008.

He was a five-time year-end world number one and never left the top 10 from 2005 until March last year.

In total, he spent 209 weeks in the top spot and between 2004 and 2022, won at least one title every year.

In his long rivalry with close friend Federer, who retired two years ago, he enjoyed a 24-16 edge. Rafael Nadal surpassed Federer’s mark of 20 majors in Australia in 2022.

He and Djokovic, the all-time leader with 24 men’s Grand Slam titles, met 60 times with the Serb just ahead by two.

An underpowered Nadal was swept aside by Djokovic in straight sets in their final meeting at this year’s Paris Olympics.

Nadal has not played since losing in the doubles quarter-finals with Alcaraz a few days later.

Despite his record-breaking career, Nadal was plagued by injuries, a painful by-product of his all-action, brutal-hitting style.

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Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz were dumped out of the Paris Olympics men’s doubles on Wednesday by Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in possibly Nadal’s last appearance at Roland Garros.

The Spanish dream team lost 6-2, 6-4 to the US fourth seeds, who progressed to the semi-finals in Paris.

Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, dubbed “Nadalcaraz”, have been one of the main talking points at the Paris Games tennis tournament, wowing the crowds in their first two matches.

But they came unstuck in the last eight against doubles specialists Krajicek and Ram, who both have Grand Slam-winning pedigree.

Nadal was broken in the first game of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier and Alcaraz also lost serve as the US pair took the first set.

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The Spaniards suffered another costly break in the seventh game of the second set, which ultimately proved decisive.

They battled tigerishly in the 10th game but failed to take advantage of three break points and Krajicek and Ram sealed victory on their second match point.

Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion, said after his painful defeat to Novak Djokovic in the singles competition in Paris that he would make a decision on his future after the Olympics.

The 38-year-old, immortalised in a statue at Roland Garros, has been plagued by injuries in recent years and is now 161st in the world.

Alcaraz still has a chance of winning a medal in the men’s singles competition — he is through to the quarter-finals, where he will face US ninth seed Tommy Paul.

READ: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz close in on Paris Olympics showdown

Tearful Coco Gauff crashed out of the Paris Olympics at the hands of Donna Vekic on Tuesday after a heated row with the umpire as Rafael Nadal prepared to return to the baking courts.

With temperatures rocketing into the mid-30s Celsius at Roland Garros, officials activated a heat protocol, allowing a 10-minute break between the second and third sets.

In the first match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Vekic shocked Gauff 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals, but the match was overshadowed by a lengthy row between the US Open champion and the chair umpire.

Coco Gauff, the flag-bearer for the United States at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony alongside NBA star LeBron James, made a fast start but squandered three set points before her Croatian opponent won the first-set tie-break.

The pair swapped breaks early in the second set but the match came to a standstill at the end of the sixth game as an emotional Gauff pleaded her case with the umpire.

At 30-40, Vekic hit a return deep to Gauff’s forehand, which the American mishit into the net.

Vekic’s shot was called out but the call was overruled by the chair umpire and the point was awarded to the Croat, giving her the break. Gauff argued her shot was compromised by the initial call.

“I have to advocate for myself all the time,” a weeping Gauff, 20, said on court. “I’m getting cheated in this game. You guys are not fair to me.”

Later, a more composed Coco Gauff called for a video review system at Roland Garros to match those in place at other Grand Slam venues.

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“I can’t say I would have won the match if I would have won that point but, for sure, being not a break, whereas maybe replaying that point can make a big difference in that game,” she said.

Vekic, ranked 21, briefly lost her composure, slipping to 0-40 on her own serve before recovering to hold, and she broke again to seal victory.

The Wimbledon semi-finalist said the row over the line call was a “tricky situation”.

“After that, the crowd, it was not so easy,” she said. “I lost my concentration for a couple of points, but I’m happy that I managed to come back in that game because it was an important game.”

Germany’s defending men’s champion Alexander Zverev coasted into the third round with a 6-3, 7-5 win over 39th-ranked Czech Tomas Machac.

In the women’s draw, three-time Grand Slam champion Angelique Kerber of Germany progressed to the quarter-finals along with US eighth seed Danielle Collins and China’s Zheng Qinwen.

Women’s world number one Iga Swiatek targets a 24th straight win on the clay courts of Paris against China’s Wang Xiyu in the evening session.

Rafael Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion, was swept off court by old rival Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the pair’s 60th meeting on Monday.

The 38-year-old, immortalised in a statue at Roland Garros, has been plagued by injuries in recent years and is now 161st in the world.

Rafael Nadal said after his painful defeat to Djokovic that he would make a decision on his future after the Paris Olympics.

But the Spaniard, who won singles gold at the 2008 Beijing Games and doubles gold in Rio in 2016, can still collect a medal in the doubles alongside current French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.

They take on Dutch pair Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof.

Britain’s three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, playing his final tournament, is in action later alongside doubles partner Dan Evans.

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