Aussie tennis star Rennae Stubbs says Rafael Nadal has played his last Australian Open

Australian tennis star-turned-commentator Rennae Stubbs believes Rafael Nadal played his last Australian Open after the injured Spaniard great was knocked out of the Grand Slam in emotional scenes on Wednesday night.

Nadal’s wife, Maria Perelló, broke down in tears in the stands when her husband fell to a straight-set defeat to Mackenzie McDonald while suffering a painful hip injury that required a medical timeout.

He left the court to a standing ovation from the packed crowd, marking the sixth time that injury or illness has affected his Australian Open campaign.

The outpouring of emotions from the crowd, and Rafa’s reaction, led Stubbs to predict that Australian fans would never see the 36-year-old play in their home Grand Slam again.

“Judging by this, I think this is the last time we will see this great champion at Rod Laver Arena,” he wrote on Wednesday night in a tweet accompanied by images of Nadal waving to the crowd and returning their applause as he left the stadium. court. .

Stubbs made her prediction after watching the 22-time Grand Slam champion receive a standing ovation as she walked off the court with a painful injury on Wednesday.

The star-turned-commentator divided fans with his post, with some agreeing while others believed Nadal would get over the injury and go down again.

Stubbs’ opinion of the 22-time Grand Slam champion divided fans online.

‘Judging by this, he just lost a match and is coming home prepared for what’s next!’ wrote a commenter.

Unfortunately, I think you’re right. I think his swan song will be in RG. He is going to play selected tournaments (Indian Wells being one of them) before then. He retires after RG’, Jon Robles tweeted, referring to Roland Garros, site of the French Open.

“It may just be a setback that any player at any stage of their career could go through,” Melinda Crump wrote.

‘Yes, I agree, he will retire gracefully like Roger [Federer]’ added Karen Wadsworth.

The Spaniard soaked in the fond farewell as he left Rod Laver Arena, later saying he has returned from injury “too many times in my career.”

Nadal’s wife, María Perelló, was seen breaking down in tears as her husband limped off the court for a medical timeout to have his hip checked.

After the match, Nadal, who has long recounted the constant physical and mental agony of battling the pain of chronic injuries, made it seem as if he could barely bear the thought of having to go through more tests to return to his championship best. .

“I really hope he doesn’t take me off the court for too long,” he sighed, admitting he still didn’t know the nature of the hip problem that left him feeling like he “couldn’t move” against American. Mackenzie Macdonald in her straight-set loss.

‘It’s not just recovery. It’s all the amount of work you need to put together to get back to a decent level. I’ve been through this process too many times in my career.

“I think I’m ready to keep doing it, but that’s not easy.”

Last year, unbelievably, he won in Paris without being able to feel his left foot at all due to painkiller injections, but since suffering the abdominal and rib problems that ruined his Wimbledon and US Open bids, he really looks like a shadow. of his old self.

Rafa showed an unusually sad figure during his loss to Mackenzie McDonald

This time last year, he posted 21 straight wins to start 2022. Including his exit from the US Open, he won just two of nine matches and this was his earliest exit at any Grand Slam since he was defeated in the first round of the Australian Open. 2016. by Fernando Verdasco.

The good news? It is Nadal’s love for the sport that will drag him back into the pit once more.

“It’s a very simple thing: I like what I do,” he said. ‘I like to play tennis. I know it’s not forever. I like to feel competitive. I like to fight for the things that I have been fighting for for almost half of my life or even more.

‘When you do the things you love to do, at the end of the day, it’s not a sacrifice.

‘Sacrifice is when you’re doing things you don’t want to do. And that was not my case.