McNamee believes Nadal has lost 'a yard' and will struggle at 2023 Australian Open

Former Australian Open Tournament Director Paul McNamee doesn't see Nadal doing well at the 2023 Australian Open despite winning the event last year.

Rafael Nadal stunned the world by putting together an incredible run at the 2022 Australian Open. It ended with Nadal staging a comeback win over Daniil Medvedev in the final winning only his 2nd Australian Open ever. McNamee doesn't see it happening again as he wrote in his column for the Age:

"This time Djokovic, the nine-time champion and deserved favorite is here, and Nadal is not even the highest ranked Spaniard! That mantle belongs to world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz – young, strong and hyper-quick, someone Aussie crowds do need to see."

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He added:

"Then there are the other challengers like Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz and, again, Medvedev. Also, locals Kyrgios or de Minaur are at least capable of big runs."

And concluded with:

"The X-factor is Nadal’s body. There is speculation his abdominal injury is affecting his ball toss but, for me, more concerning is his own recent admission: “I need to get a little faster physically.” Court coverage has always been a major asset of Nadal’s but, and this is a cruel thing to say, I fear he’s lost a yard."

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