Rafael Nadal is a 'shadow of his former self' and enters clay court swing with 'a real unknown' says Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
ATPSunday, 10 March 2024 at 15:30
Rafael Nadal is a 'shadow of his former self' and enters into the clay court season with 'a real unknown' compared to the dead certainty that previously followed around the great Spaniard surrounding this time of year according to former World No.5, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Nadal missed the entire clay-court season last timea round and has barely played this year only playing the Brisbane International at the turn of the year where he played well but injury soon reared its head. The same can be said for Australian Open, Qatar Open and Indian Wells with all three seeing late withdrawals. He has only played the Netflix Slam as of late.
For many, the clay court season is seen as his final swansong and Tsonga said that he has nothing left to prove and that after having such a margin over the other players on the surface over the years, that is no longer the certainty it used to be and that the hard court matches told him a lot about where he is currently.
“The real unknown is what Rafa is capable of doing on clay,” he told L’Équipe. “Today, on hard court, we know. From what we’ve seen, we honestly know that he doesn’t move as well, that he’ll never perform as well as he did before.
“On clay today, there’s a real unknown. He had such a margin over the others. Will he be able to hold his own in a tough match today? That’s the real unknown.”
“He’s got nothing left to prove. That’s over. He just wants to reassure himself, to say ‘okay, that’s it, I can go’,” he said.
“He’s looking for validation so that he can leave. In truth, he’s been a shadow of his former self for quite a few months now. I think he just wants to prove it to himself, to say to himself now, ‘I’m safe to leave, I’m at peace’.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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