Former world number one Sweden’s
Bjorn Borg has stated that
he sees a bit of himself in Spain’s
Rafael Nadal with the way he played on the clay
court. The 38-year-old is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history
of men’s tennis in the singles category in the Open era, having won as many as
22 Grand Slam titles.
Fourteen of those titles came while playing at the Roland
Garros. It is because of this reason the Spaniard is also known as the ‘King of
Clay’. Bjorn, who also had a fabulous career while playing on the clay court,
where he lifted the titles six times, once again praised Nadal and stated that
just like him, the 22-time Grand Slam winner grew up while playing on clay.
"I grew up on clay. Nadal grew up on clay. He’s the one,”
he said. “To see him play on clay courts, it’s so fantastic . He’s unbelievable
. I can relate to how he knows how to move players around the court.”
Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent
past. It was because of this reason the 38-year-old ended up missing three out
of four Grand Slams in 2023. During that time, Nadal announced that he would
retire from the sport at the end of the 2024 season. The former world number
one returned to the court earlier this year but has struggled physically and
found it hard to deliver positive results consistently.
Even this year, Nadal has missed three out of the four Grand
Slams, including the recently concluded US Open. His only appearance in a major
event was at the French Open, where he was knocked out after losing in the first
round to current world number two Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets
with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Nadal’s last appearance was at the Paris Olympics, where he participated in the singles and doubles category.
