‘Nadal Was Actually Considered Invincible’ – Boris Becker Says Something Is Really Wrong With Rafael Nadal’s Rib

Published 04/16/2022, 1:02 AM EDT

Injuries have been a part and parcel of the illustrious career of Rafael Nadal. However, every time he has been down with injuries, the Spanish legend has shown tremendous resilience to bounce back and achieve tremendous success on the tennis court. Such has been his ability to strive for the biggest prize, that Nadal has gone on to become the first man in the history of the game to win 21 Majors.

Further, this year too, Nadal has made a strong comeback after an injury-laden 2021. The Spaniard won the Australian Open earlier this year to kickstart his season in the best possible way. Additionally, he has a 20-1 win-loss record this year. His only defeat came against Taylor Fritz in the finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

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After his campaign in Indian Wells, Nadal has been away from the tour due to a rib injury. It has come as a huge blow for the in-form Nadal, who was looking forward to carrying his winning momentum in the clay-court swing. Recently, six-time Grand Slam champion, Boris Becker, opened up on Nadal’s chances at the French Open.

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Boris Becker talks about the untimely injury of Rafael Nadal

Nadal, who is hopeful of winning win his 14th title at Roland Garros this year, has seen his participation at the second Grand Slam tournament of the season in major doubt due to his rib injury. Talking about Nadal’s latest setback, the German tennis legend said, “Nadal was actually considered invincible until he injured himself in the semi-final against Alcaraz, who played for over three hours.”

Further, he added, “Something must be wrong with his rib. I had that once too. It hurts a lot and it takes a long time until you can play properly again because you need it to breathe. And especially now for the clay court season, this is of course a big setback for him.”

Revealing Nadal’s chances at the French Open, Becker said, “Until the injury, he was considered the favorite for Roland Garros and now he has to get healthy again and play his first matches on clay. And it is not yet clear when he will start again. He won’t play Monte Carlo. He also canceled Barcelona, so Madrid at the earliest. Paris – that’s in three weeks. So good luck that the Spaniard will be healthy.”

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According to his doctors, Nadal will likely be out for four to six weeks since suffering the injury after the tournament in Indian Wells. If Nadal recovers in time, he will likely play at the Madrid Open, next month.

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Nadal’s journey at the 2021 French Open

The ‘King of Clay’ entered the French Open last year on the back of four consecutive title wins at the tournament. He was the third seed in the tournament behind Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev. Nadal broke hardly any sweat in the early rounds, defeating the likes of Alexei Popyrin, Richard Gasquet, Cameron Norrie, and Jannik Sinner.

In the quarterfinals, Nadal was stretched to four sets against Diego Schwartzman. The Spaniard’s campaign was cut short by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The Serb eventually went on to win the title, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the summit clash.

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It remains to be seen if Nadal can overcome his injury concerns to regain his form and full fitness at this year’s Roland Garros.

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Written by:

Vatsal Shah is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in engineering, he is a die hard fan of tennis and sports in general. He is an ardent follower of Rafael Nadal and is inspired by his never-say-die attitude.

Edited by:

Niranjan Deodhar

‘Nadal Was Actually Considered Invincible’ – Boris Becker Says Something Is Really Wrong With Rafael Nadal’s Rib

Boris Becker talks about the untimely injury of Rafael Nadal

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Nadal’s journey at the 2021 French Open