Australian Open Director, Craig Tiley, is keen on discussing Rafael Nadal’s plans before the Spanish tennis icon returns to Spain. After withdrawing from the tournament due to a muscle injury suffered in Brisbane, Nadal’s future plans are under scrutiny.
“I absolutely plan to see him next year,” Tiley began, expressing his intent to discuss Nadal’s future. “I plan to see him tonight, as we always do before he leaves town in the coming days. I’ll ask him the same question. Rafa is the type of player who, as long as he is fit and healthy, can play, loves to play.”
With the possibility that this could be Nadal’s last year of his illustrious career, there’s speculation that he might never participate in the Australian Open again.
“Of course, we would like him to come back to Melbourne, under any circumstances, whether to play or whatever… We will give him every opportunity to come back and play.”
While Nadal could have possibly played in the first Grand Slam, he opted to retire to better prepare for the upcoming clay season.
“To win the Australian Open, you have to play seven matches with three sets won, over the course of two weeks, I think he thought he wouldn’t be able to sustain that. Rafa is such a player: he will not participate in the tournament unless he knows that he is 100 percent ready to win it,” Tiley concluded.
