Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert has said that Rafael Nadal will probably not rediscover his finest form. Gilbert’s assessment comes amid the legendary Spaniard’s ongoing singles and doubles campaigns at the Nordea Open. Nadal is also slated to represent Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the tennis tournament is set to begin on Saturday, July 27.
Nadal has been plagued by injuries in recent years, but has featured at multiple tournaments this season. The former World No. 1 showed glimpses of his past brilliance in the buildup to the 2024 French Open. However, he was dealt a tough draw at Roland-Garros, which saw him face current World No. 4 Alexander Zverev in the first round.
Zverev ultimately came out on top against the record 14-time French Open winner with a straight-sets triumph. Nadal later bid an emotional farewell to the crowd in attendance at Court Philippe-Chatrier, even though he did not rule out playing at the prestigious claycourt Major in future.
Later, Nadal withdrew from this year’s edition of the Wimbledon Championships, citing the need to keep practicing on clay due to Roland-Garros being the host of the Paris Olympics’ tennis tournament.
Right now, Nadal is participating in both singles and doubles at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden. So far, the 22-time Major winner has registered victories in all his matches. In singles, he made short work of Leo Borg, the son of Bjorn Borg, on Tuesday, July 16, and is set to face Cameron Norrie next on Thursday, July 18. In doubles, Nadal has paired up with Casper Ruud, with the duo having won both the matches they have played so far.
Recently, Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert, who has also coached stalwarts of the sport such as Andy Murray and Andy Roddick, shared his thoughts on Nadal’s future. In an interview with CLAY, Gilbert opined that the Spaniard’s best days are well behind him.
“He (Nadal) will probably never reach his best level again, but I think above all else, every athlete wants to be able to retire in his own way. He wants to be and decide that maybe it’s time to stop,” Gilbert said.
The 62-year-old also suggested that the high frequency of injuries sustained by the Spaniard in recent years has greatly affected his game.
“He’s had so many injuries in the last two years that he probably hasn’t had a period where he really felt healthy and that’s what he wants to know more than anything, before he stops, what his game is like when he’s completely healthy,” Gilbert added.
Rafael Nadal is on the entry list for the 2024 US Open via his protected ranking
Nadal’s name features on the list for the 2024 US Open, where main draw matches are set to commence on Monday, August 26. The Spaniard, who was a top 10 player as recently as March 2023, was among the protected ranking entries in the entry list released by the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Nadal has won the US Open four times (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019), but has only managed to muster one appearance at the hardcourt Major across the last four years. However, his name featuring on the entry list does not confirm the 22-time Major winner’s participation at the year’s last Grand Slam.
Nadal is ranked at a lowly World No. 261 right now, making him ineligible for the main draws of most high-profile tournaments based on his current ranking alone. The Spaniard’s appearances at this year’s Barcelona Open, the Madrid Open, the Italian Open, and the French Open, have all come due to him using his protected ranking to enter the prestigious tournaments.
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