"He is sounding weary" . Chris Evert fears imminent Nadal retirement

Grand Slam legend Chris Evert has stated she feels that the career of Rafael Nadal is drawing to a close after the Spaniard hinted at the prospect of retirement in the not so distant future.

The 13-time Roland Garros champion was taken to a fifth set for just the third time in his career by Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Paris Slam as he triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Despite the impressive hard-fought victory, Nadal admitted post-match that he was unsure about how much longer his body will enable to him to carry on playing for – sparking fears of imminent retirement.

Speaking to Eurosport, Evert said:

“He is sounding weary. There is so much more that comes with being a professional tennis player than playing a match, but he sounded tired. The respect I have for him because he is 35 years old and he can keep getting psyched up every single day for these matches."

She further said:

“I started burning out in my early 30s. When I woke up in the morning I didn’t have anything in me, so I don’t know where he gets this passion and fire in his belly from. I am sure with the injury, I don’t want to say he is falling apart, but you get a little more affected by the playing and training. It is going to happen, whether it is next year, two years, three years. I would not give him more than two or three years to play tennis.”