Former world number one
Mats Wilander has stated that Spain’s
legendary tennis player
Rafael Nadal is ‘not scared’ of losing and that the only
reason behind his withdrawal from multiple events this year is his fitness concerns.
The 37-year-old is often regarded as one of the greatest players
in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as
24 Grand Slam titles.
Nadal recently made a return to professional tennis after a
gap of nearly one year but once again injured himself during the Brisbane
International. It was for this reason, he decided not to take part in
the Australian Open, Indian Wells and now in Miami Open.
Wilander was recently quoted in a report where he stated
that the only reason behind Nadal’s absence from these mega events is his fitness
concerns.
"When you see that match in Las Vegas and you see that
Rafa is out and he’s been practicing, he’s playing golf and all that, you
think, ‘Okay, well he must be healthy’. And then when he pulls out, it’s also
clear that, no, he isn’t healthy,” he said.
"There’s no chance that if Rafa goes to Indian Wells
early just like he did to Australia, when he went to Brisbane – and he was
looking really good in a couple of matches, and then he has to pull out – it’s
not like he’s scared, he’s injured.
"Is this the last year for Rafa? Maybe. Most probably.
I’m not sure, but certainly we haven’t seen the last of him playing a
competitive match when he’s feeling 100%. I think he’s still waiting for that
moment."
