Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after defeating him in the Men’s Singles Semi Final at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Getty
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after defeating him in the Men’s Singles Semi Final at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
2021 has been a tough year for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fans. While Federer played at French Open and Wimbledon, Nadal was only able to participate in the Australian Open and French Open. Both players are struggling with injuries and hope to return in 2022. The former Russian tennis player, Nikolay Davydenko, has commented on the potential of Federer and Nadal at this age.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Nikolay Davydenko’s assumption about Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
The former world number three believes Federer and Nadal both have achieved the zenith in their careers. He said to play at their ages with frequent injuries is really difficult. Rafael Nadal is 35-years old while Roger Federer is 40-years old. According to Nikolay Davydenko, the body at such age becomes very exhausted, and it’s extremely painful to move comfortably on the court.
Getty
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC – SEPTEMBER 23: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe react during there doubles match against Jack Sock and Sam Querrey of Team World on Day 2 of the Laver Cup on September 23, 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic. The Laver Cup consists of six European players competing against their counterparts from the rest of the World. Europe will be captained by Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will captain the Rest of the World team. The event runs from 22-24 September. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
Davydenko also stressed another point. He feels Federer and Nadal don’t have the potential to win a five setter. While the two have played plethora of five-setters in their careers, the Russian doesn’t see that happening again.
Nikolay Davydenko said, “I think it will be hard for Nadal and Federer to return with such injuries. Of course, the fans are going to beat me up now and say I’m talking nonsense. But if you feel it as it is, then they will already give way little by little. Maybe they will win something – I’m not saying that they will all lose. But I don’t think they can potentially win a five-set match. They can play an hour out of three sets, one and a half. And so you can play a tournament, and the main thing is that something does not work out again, some kind of injury.”
The duo withdrew from US Open 2021
Getty
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 15: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands at the net after his straight sets victory against Rafael Nadal of Spain in their fourth round match during day ten of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2017 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had both pulled out of US Open 2021. Roger Federer did not compete in the US Open because he’s suffering from a resurgence of his knee injury. The Spaniard, on the other hand, was unable to participate due to a foot injury. While fans across the world want to see the duo back on the court again, it’s still uncertain whether or not they’ll return for the 2022 tour.
