John McEnroe, a famous American tennis player and commentator for ESPN, said on Monday that Rafael Nadal might decide to stop playing tennis if he gets injured again at the French Open in May. McEnroe said this after Nadal pulled out of the Australian Open because of a small tear in a muscle in his hip.
McEnroe talked to reporters during a media conference call for the Australian Open. He said, “I think Rafa was hoping, ‘Hopefully I’ll be ready for the French, see if my body holds up there.’ If it doesn’t, I think you’ll see him not play anymore. We’re all obviously hopeful he can because Rafa has been amazing for the game. We’d like to see him as long as we can.”
Nadal has been dealing with injuries since last year’s Australian Open. He hurt his hip flexor during a match in the second round against Mackenzie McDonald. Because of this injury, he couldn’t play at all in 2023 and had to have surgery in June.
Rafael Nadal might decide to stop playing tennis if he gets injured again according to McEnroe
Recently, Nadal started playing again at the Brisbane International tournament. He won his first two matches but then lost to Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals. During this match, Nadal needed a medical timeout, and tests showed that he had a tear in his muscle.
Throughout his career, Nadal has won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, which is just two less than his rival Novak Djokovic.
