Rafael Nadal after losing his second-round match at the Australian Open. Picture: Getty Images
As much as it may have been a shock to see Rafael Nadal dumped out of the Australian Open on Wednesday, the reality is that it shouldn’t be a surprise. The real shock came last year when he punched above his weight to win the title.
Nadal, the top seed at Melbourne Park, was handed a straight-sets defeat by relatively unfancied American player Mackenzie McDonald.
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At the age of 36, however, the iconic Spaniard shouldn’t be able to compete at that sort of level. In the world of professional sport, he should probably have already retired.
The fact that he won two Grand Slam titles last year was an indication of just how phenomenal he is as a hard-working, talented legend of the game.
In the absence of Roger Federer, who went on to announce his retirement at the end of the 2022 season, and Novak Djokovic, whose controversial stance against vaccines saw him sidelined, Nadal emerged victorious at last year’s Australian Open. Even more remarkably, he went on to secure the French Open title later in the year, securing his 22nd Grand Slam trophy.
But competing in an era which was one of the most competitive in the history of the sport, and with a host of rising stars looking to take control for a new generation, Nadal shouldn’t have been so dominant last season.
With a mixture of experience and a bit of luck, he delivered results which few could have expected, and it capped what can only be considered one of the best careers ever produced by a professional tennis player.
With two Olympic gold medals and a record 14 French Open titles under his belt, Nadal has long been cemented among the legends of the game, and though he is no doubt still competitive, it’s important for us to accept that any further achievements should be a surprise. They should not be expected.
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When he loses now, it’s not because he isn’t good enough. It’s simply because we’re all human and he’s in the twilight of a spectacular career.
Nadal is already an icon of global sport, and that’s one title he will never relinquish. Anything else, from here on out, will just be a bonus.
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