Boris Becker has voiced concern that Rafael Nadal’s continuing hip injury absence from the spring clay campaign may not bode well for his Roland Garros chances.
The six-time Grand Slam champion served as co-coach to Nadal rival Novak Djokovic for several productive seasons.
Eurosport commentator Becker told the network of his concerns for the French Open with Nadal not having competed since mid-January::
“If Nadal cancels the clay-court tournaments in preparation for Roland Garros, something really bad must have happened.
“I really hope he can at least compete in Paris. That would at least be good news.”
Becker added that slipping Paris – where he holds 14 titles – would be catastrophic for the 36-year-old Spaniard and could mark the beginning of the end..
“A player always has to decide for himself which is his last tournament – and I sincerely hope that for Rafa it won’t be the Roland Garros tournament this year.”
He added: “Rafa is not (only) a sports hero, but an icon (too) He has changed the sport of tennis significantly.
“No one has ever played tennis like Rafael Nadal – let alone been so successful.
“He is one of the fairest players in the world, one of the greatest fighters we have ever seen.
“And the fact that he won Wimbledon twice as the ‘King of Clay’ and was also successful in the other Grand Slam tournaments shows his unique performance over almost two decades.”
Main photo:- Injured Rafa Nadal at changeover as he awaits the trainer during second round loss in Australian Open 2023 by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos Ltd
