Former World No. 7 discusses the incredible schedule management of Rafael Nadal in his career
Rafael Nadal has had a successful career with a 22 Grand Slams, but he also had his fair share of injuries.
Follow Us
Rafael Nadal (Image via X)
Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has had one of the greatest tennis careers, winning 22 Grand Slam titles and 36 Masters 1000 titles. However, the Spaniard also faced numerous injuries throughout his two-decade-long career.
Former World No. 7 Emilio Sanchez explained that Nadal’s ability to stay competitive despite his physical challenges was due to his excellent schedule management. The left-hander often skipped tournaments, including Grand Slams, later in his career to focus on key events.
Rafa was one of the first to know that he had to recover a lot more, given the difficulties he was having with his body. He had to give his body the opportunity to perform and compete.
Emilio Sanchez said in an interview with Marca
One notable example came in 2020 when the US Open and Roland Garros were scheduled close together due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nadal chose to skip the US Open and focus on Roland Garros, his main priority. This decision paid off as he won his 13th Roland Garros title, defeating Novak Djokovic in straight sets.
In the latter part of his career, Nadal also reduced his participation in grass court events due to the physical demands of the surface. After 2019, he competed at Wimbledon only once, reaching the semifinals in 2022.
Rafael Nadal meets wheelchair players in Saudi Arabia
Wheelchair tennis reached a historic milestone on Sunday in Jeddah with a special guest from the ATP Tour. Rafael Nadal visited the Onyx Arena at King Abdullah Sports City to meet the young competitors in a unique exhibition tournament held during the Next Gen ATP Finals.
This event marked the first wheelchair tennis tournament hosted in Saudi Arabia. The four-player lineup included three 21-year-olds, Robin Grounewoud and Maarten Ter Hofte from the Netherlands, Japan’s Shogo Takano, and 19-year-old Briton Ben Bartram. The players also posed for a photo with Nadal, the former world No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
In the final match, Maarten Ter Hofte triumphed over his close friend Robin Grounewoud. The two had recently won the doubles title together at the Dutch national championships. Both spoke highly of their experience in Jeddah and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to showcase their sport on this platform.
Ter Hofte, who represented the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, highlighted the importance of exposing wheelchair tennis to new audiences. He emphasized how events like these can help grow the sport and inspire those who may not have seen wheelchair tennis before.
Stay Updated!
Fahad Hamid
(593 Articles Published)