Video: "Hopefully he wins" - Clueless tennis fans predict Rafael Nadal's chances at the Australian Open despite the Spaniard being retired

Former World No.1 Rafael Nadal called an end to his distinguished career in 2024, but the news may not have reached everyone as several tennis fans believe he is competing at the 2025 Australian Open.

After battling with injury for much of 2023, Nadal announced the 2024 season would be his last. The 38-year old retired at the 2024 Davis Cup in front of his home crowd, and was given an emotional sendoff that has since been criticized by many in the tennis community.

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Many fans still in the dark on Nadal's retirement

Nonetheless, there was a different vibe at Melbourne with Nadal absent. However, it appears many fans were unaware of the 22-time Grand Slam champion's retirement, as evidenced by a viral video from Get A Grip Tennis Podcast that was making waves on social media.

"Today, we're finding out how far Rafael Nadal will go at the Australian Open even though he's retired," said the interviewer as he walked around Melbourne Park with a microphone in hand.

After asking each unwitting fan if they knew their tennis, the interviewer proceeded to ask them how far they believed Nadal would go in the tournament.

"I think he's got a pretty good chance," said one fan. "Yeah, hopefully he wins."

"Yeah, no, he should be good," said another fan. "He's an old school player, so yeah, I look forward to seeing him play"

"Oh yeah, he'll definitely get like, top four," insisted another fan.

Below is the full video.

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