Martina Navratilova believes Rafael Nadal lost some of his dominant aura at the 2015 French Open - "He seems to be a little less imposing"

Known for his prowess on clay, Rafael Nadal appeared to be more vulnerable in the lead up to the 2015 French Open, says WTA great Martina Navratilova.

The Spaniard had been a force to be reckoned with at the French Open, only failing to win the title once from 2005 till 2014. However, the former World No.1 entered the clay Grand Slam event without having won a title on his preferred surface prior to the event, setting off alarm bells that all may not be well with the multi-time Grand Slam champion.

The Mallorca native finished runner-up at Monte Carlo Masters, but he failed to achieve much success on the other Masters events leading up to Roland Garros. With his confidence and form at an unusual low, Navratilova speculated on a handful of causes.

I’m sure, feeling most vulnerable. And he’s looking most vulnerable. And that gives the other guys confidence when they play him,” said Navratilova a decade ago. “He seems to me a little bit less physically imposing.
“I don’t know if it’s just my imagination. Just doesn’t seem to be as muscular as he was five or six years ago. Maybe he trains differently, maybe because of his injuries he can’t train as hard as he used to, but not sure.
"Most of all I think it’s the other players are playing better and hitting a lot more top spin on the ball, hitting the ball harder, which does not give him the time to run around his backhand and dictate with the forearm, he has to kind of be more in the middle of the court.
“He can’t park himself on the right side of the court. And also by his own admission, he gets more nervous now. And when he does get more nervous, his forehand goes shorter. Even when he does get to hit the forehand, he doesn’t hit it as deep, with as much, with as much depth and maybe power."

Navratilova's comments would prove to be accurate, as Nadal fell to rival Novak Djokovic at the French Open quarterfinals.