The days go by and there is less and less left until the last grain of sand falls on the clock that marks the farewell of Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard, being one of the best tennis players in history and who knew how to mark an era in the sport, is at the center of the scene in each of the legends’ interviews. Even in that of Ivan Ljubicic, Roger Federer’s historic coach with whom he had great confrontations on the courts.
The Croatian coach, before working alongside the Swiss, had his time as a professional tennis player in which he had to face the Fiera on several occasions, where he remembered every moment they shared on a court, although they were not in the best way. What’s more, one of the moments that Ljubicic will never be able to erase from his mind is the times he crossed paths with Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, where he recognized that he is practically invincible.
During the last hours, the former world number three described what it meant to play against the Balearic tennis player on clay, especially in the second Grand Slam of the season. “Playing against Rafa at the Philippe-Chatrier is difficult, it is a traumatic experience. He has a tennis that is tactically quite simple, but impossible to handle”the Croatian recalled in dialogue with “Eurosport”.
Along the same lines, Ivan Ljubicic made it clear that 2025 will not be the same calendar without Rafael Nadalespecially the Parisian tournament, where he is master and owner of the competition with 14 titles, just like Wimbledon without Federer or what will be – in the future – Australian Open without Djokovic. “I was surprised when he announced his retirement. Obviously I can understand why, that is not the question. But for me, Rafa is Roland Garros, and seeing that he is not going to play in Paris is difficult to accept,” he concluded.
They question his physical condition
2024 Rafael Nadal It wasn’t the best. He was inactive for several months due to a long injury that caused him to suffer abuse and when he returned to the courts his level was no longer the same, he was noticeably slowed down and had several inaccuracies. Given this, it is a big unknown how he will get to the Davis Cup to play the series against the Netherlands in Malaga.
What’s more, Ljubicic himself questions the Spaniard’s physique, although he is excited to see him on the court one last time. “I don’t know exactly what his level of play and his current physical condition are, but it is not what we were used to and which allowed him to be competitive at a very high level. Champions like him play to win, not to participate,” he said. .
