“It's a pity, of course”: Elena Rybakina wishes to see more of ‘legend’ Rafael Nadal

Women’s world number four Elena Rybakina has stated that she would like to see legendary Rafael Nadal for ‘many more year’. The 37-year-old is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis, having won as many as 22 Grand Slam titles.

Nadal has struggled with fitness concerns in the recent past and it was because of this reason, he ended up missing three out of the four Grand Slams in 2023. The former world number one returned to the court earlier this year where he once again had a niggle which ruled him out of action for four months. Because of all these injury concerns, the 14-time French Open winner announced last year that the 2024 season would be his last at the highest level.

Rybakina was quoted in a recent report stating that she watched Nadal’s last match in Spain. “Yeah, I actually watched it a little bit yesterday, but then I went to sleep,” she said. “I didn't finish till the end. It’s pretty amazing to see him play. It's a pity, of course because you want to see him play many more years (smiling), but I think he had a great career. He's such a legend, and so many young players look up to him. So I think it's great to see him play here, and hopefully at the French Open he can also show some good tennis. Yeah, let's see. But it's always nice to see him play.”