Tennis great Paul McNamee fears that Rafael Nadal has “lost a yard” ahead of his Australian Open title defence in Melbourne.
McNamee, a four time doubles grand slam champion and former Australian Open tournament director, expressed his opinion in a column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
Nadal, 36, is fourth favourite with the bookmakers to win the 2023 Open, behind Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.
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The legendary Spaniard is coming off two straight United Cup losses to Cameron Norrie and Alex De Minaur as questions persist about his fitness.
“The X-factor is Nadal’s body,” McNamee wrote.
“There is speculation his abdominal injury is affecting his ball toss but, for me, more concerning is his own recent admission: ‘I need to get a little faster physically.’
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“Court coverage has always been a major asset of Nadal’s but, and this is a cruel thing to say, I fear he’s lost a yard.
“So, as Father Time advances, and to be fair at 36 he is only one year older than Djokovic, winning the Australian Open will be a lot more difficult for Nadal.
“As defending champion and world No.2, he is certainly in the conversation. However, for Aussies wishing to see the great Spaniard, I’d suggest enjoy him while you can.”
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