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2018 French Open Tennis Tournament – Rafael Nadal of Spain with coach Carlos Moya training on Court Suzanne Lenglen in preparation for the 2018 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
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2018 French Open Tennis Tournament – Rafael Nadal of Spain with coach Carlos Moya training on Court Suzanne Lenglen in preparation for the 2018 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Tennis ace Rafael Nadal has been playing a lot of tennis lately. The Spaniard was most recently seen at the French Open 2021 and in a rare instance, did not end up winning the tournament. After that, he announced that he would not be competing at the Wimbledon Championships 2021 or the Tokyo Olympics that will follow.
Recently, his coach Carlos Moya reflected on Rafa’s decision and revealed that the clay-court season has taken a toll on the 35-year-old. Tennis on the clay surface is physically demanding. Due to the tedious season so far, he opined that Nadal deserves to take a break.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Rafael Nadal of Spain looks dejected in defeat after the Gentlemen’s Singles fourth round match against Gilles Muller of Luxembourg on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 10, 2017, in London, England. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
The 44-year-old coach stated, “The clay-court tour was very tough, with a lot of physical and mental pressure. Rafa finished exhausted. He is going to take a well-deserved rest, this is a marathon, a long-distance race in which hard decisions have to be made and he has considered that the best thing is to stop to come back full of strength.”
(Quotes translated using Google translate)
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Rafael Nadal needs a break to come back in better shape
In the past, Rafa has been in similar situations, which have led to him skipping certain events in the following period. If he doesn’t feel fully fit, then it is wise to take a break and come back when the batteries are fully charged. He intends to play more in the years to come, therefore he needs to be thoughtful with his decisions.
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Tennis – French Open – Roland Garros, Paris, France – June 11, 2021, Spain’s Rafael Nadal in action during his semi final match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
The former French Open winner added, “Rafa two years ago reached a point of great mental fatigue that was very difficult to get out of, and now he has interpreted that he was close to that again. He cannot afford a Grand Slam if he is not 100%, for all that his image implies, for prestige and for how he is.”
Speaking about Nadal this year, he had a good clay-court season. During that period, he won titles in Barcelona and Rome. After that, he lost in the semifinal at Roland Garros. He will take a break and resume his season towards the build-up of the US Open 2021.
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