Rafael Nadal’s return: Will the speed of the game prove too much for aging bull

Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam winner, is starting to feel the effects of ageing and playing at a top level for an extended period of time,

and Mats Wilander believes that he may find it difficult to keep up with a game that is getting faster.

Although he claimed that Nadal still possessed the mindset and the best tactical sense,

he thinks that the Spaniard will have to train less, which will restrict his movement.

Wilander is also concerned that injuries may tarnish Nadal’s final years of competition.

Wilander told Eurosport, “The game is moving in a direction that is becoming faster and faster all the time.”

Rafa Nadal has been adjusting his style of play as much as he can,

but you still need to be able to reach the ball quickly enough to make all these adjustments,

hit the slice backhand, and approach the net a little bit more.

“Ageing will undoubtedly lead him to get older, but you also lose some speed if you can’t practise all the time.

“I believe Rafael Nadal’s genuine game is the last thing that will ever truly disappear from his game.

I believe that he’s improving and becoming more inventive when it comes to hitting the ball.

But given his advancing age and inability to consistently train,

I believe that he will become slower in terms of his physical abilities.

There’s a limit to how much you can accomplish with a tennis ball before you can’t move at nearly 100% of your potential.

And it, in my opinion, will be his greatest foe.

Rafa Nadal, nevertheless, never stops coming up with fresh ideas.

He’s probably got as much strength mentally as before. He’s smarter now,

tactically, perhaps because he has to be smarter.

“I’m concerned about him becoming older. We’ve seen these wounds before,

and he’s recovered from them before. The question is, is it growing tougher and harder at his age?

Another problem caused by Nadal’s physical issues is his decline in the rankings,

which could result in a worse seeding in his preferred haunt, Roland Garros.

“I believe it makes a big difference because it can be nerve-wracking to know that you might play the No. 1 or No. 2 in the round of 32 at an ATP 1000 or the French Open,” Wilander said.

And I believe that a player like Rafael Nadal, who is really intelligent and skilled, particularly on clay, seeks out these matches in which he falls short of his potential [against opponents with lower ranking] but yet prevails in order to gain some self-assurance.

And in my opinion, after two games, the opportunity to face the greatest players in the world is abruptly taken away from you.

However, if I were to rank among the top four players in the world and had the possibility of facing Rafael Nadal in the third round—oh my god—that would be something else entirely. That is very bad!

Thus, as the majority of people claim, it’s simpler to defeat the top players early in the competition. Of course.

But where do you place Rafa Nadal now that he’s recovered from his injury?

A dark horse who poses a serious threat to elite players like Novak Djokovic,

Carlos Alcaraz, and others, or one of the greatest players in the world?

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