“Nobody wants Rafa to stop playing”: Alex de Minaur opens up about Nadal’s possible retirement in near future

Australia’s young tennis star Alex de Minaur has stated that he, just like fans, will be sad when Spain’s Rafael Nadal hangs up his boots. The 37-year-old is often 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 major titles came at Roland Garros which is why he is also known as the ‘King of Clay’.

Nadal has struggled with injury 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. He returned to action earlier this year but suffered another injury setback at the Brisbane International which led him to miss the Australian Open and ATP 1000 Masters events — Indian Wells, Miami Open and Monte-Carlo Masters.

Nadal, after another lengthy break, took part in the ongoing Barcelona Open where he lost to Australia’s De Minaur in the round of 32 in straight sets with a score of 7-5, 6-1. The 25-year-old was recently quoted in a report where he stated that he would be sad to see someone like Nadal leave the sport just like the fans.

“Obviously, like the entire tennis world, a little sad because nobody wants Rafa to stop playing,” he said. “Like every tennis player, and especially of my generation, the values that Rafa has had on the court have been the ideals, the ones that they tell you to copy from a very young age: the attitude he has in each match, the mental strength, the determination, it's something we've all seen and the plan is to be as close to him as possible, which is never easy. He is special in my life and in my career, as well as in the world of tennis.”