The tennis realm misses the fury and glorious aura of Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal this year. Seeing the painful and grueling drive Rafa had to endure at the Australian Open made his fans realize their idol is not doing so well. Consequently, he stepped out of the tour and right now is planning to recuperate. This means that he will not be a part of the US Open. However, when we take a look at his previous stints, Nadal has some grim memories attached to the major, especially the 2015 version.

The 2015 season was not a very fruitful season for the Spanish tennis legend, as he could not get past the quarter-finals of any major. However, the constant criticism of his performance led Rafa to give it back to his critics with some hard facts.

Rafael Nadal shut down his critics with his ranking at the 2015 US Open

The Spanish tennis star had a difficult run that year. He was struggling to get past the quarter-finals of majors. However, he had one chance at the final major of the year, the US Open. Consequently, after securing a second-round victory against Diego Schwartzman, Rafael Nadal was in good spirits, until the post-match press conference.

During his press conference, a reporter asked him about his recent decline, as reported by the Guardian. This prompted Nadal to lash out uncharacteristically. He said, “I am No8 in the world. I am not No100.” The recurrent question about his declining performance took a toll on Nadal as he said, “It seems like I am No200 in every press conference. I am not so bad.”

Furthermore, he dictated how the press conferences made him feel. He remorsefully stated, “After I arrive here with the victory, I go back to the locker room saying how bad I am. Every day.”

The following year did not help him to feel better either, as he failed to clinch a major title. However, in 2017, he proved everyone wrong, winning three out of four Grand Slam titles, missing out on Wimbledon.

This year, once again, the tennis realm feels the absence of the Spanish tennis legend. Nadal has announced that his last run at professional tennis is going to be at next year’s French Open.

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But with rising players like Carlos Alcaraz, can Nadal win his 15th French Open title? This concerns Nadal’s team as well, as his uncle Toni Nadal has recently suggested.

What are your views on Nadal’s situation? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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