EXCLUSIVE: Australian tennis great questions if hyper-intense Rafa Nadal can continue playing
Is this the end for Rafael Nadal? That might sound ridiculous given the Spanish legend has already won two majors in 2022 - but after his withdrawal from his looming Wimbledon semi-final clash with Nick Kyrgios, Wally Masur noted how much tennis the Spaniard had missed recently through various injuries and ailments.
"The orthopaedic surgeons in Mallorca, they'll just be lining up won't they?" Masur said on Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily.
"Imagine Rafa in his 40s. They'll have to re-build him."
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But jokes aside, Masur said the intensity that Nadal approaches all facets of the game might finally have caught up with him.
"What you see on the match court is the tip of the iceberg - he trains the house down," he said.
"The volume of training, the pyramid of training that he puts himself through, is unbelievable."
Rafael Nadal during his win over Taylor Fritz. Getty
Masur said he would often watch Nadal on his off-days at Roland-Garros, and it was apparent to anyone who did that the pedal to the metal style employed by the 22-time major winner was a key part of his preparation and routine.
"He needs that to play well - can he maintain the training and the style of training that he adopts to be where he wants to be to win these slams? That's the big question for me," Masur posed.
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"I think Father Time is catching up. It did with Roger - took Roger to 40 to kind of break down, but he's a little more fluid and controls the court so well.
"Rafa just physically puts himself through the ringer every time."
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