Former world number one America’s
Jim Courier is hoping that
Spain’s
Rafael Nadal’s much-awaited return will not have a similar ending to
what happened with Switzerland’s
Roger Federer.
The former world number one is currently spending time on
the sidelines as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. It was because
of this reason he ended up missing three out of the four Grand Slams in 2023.
Courier, who won four Grand Slams in his career, was recently
quoted in a report where he expressed optimism to see Nadal returning to the
court very soon.
"What you hope not to see is what happened to Roger
[Federer],” he said. “You know Roger really worked hard to get back and he was
ready and then it was one bad move and one little slip and that was really the
end of it for him.
"Even then his [Federer's] greatness allowed him to get
into the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. I just hope we don’t get that kind of
scenario again. But any view of Rafa back on a court, especially at Roland
Garros, would be welcome.”
Nadal is often termed one of the greatest players in the
history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 22 Grand
Slam titles in his illustrious career.
