End is nigh: Are we ready for a Rafa-less tennis world?

And, who would know it better than Rafael Nadal right now. After exhausting all other options, he finally decided to go under the knife earlier in June for a tendon injury that kept him out of competition since January.

When he, for the first time in 19 years, missed the French Open, which has become synonymous with him, many thought that his sheer doggedness might just result in a ‘see you soon’. But the grass of this Wimbledon shall be as sombre for his fans as the red clay of Paris.

‘If only these treasures were not so fragile as they are precious and beautiful.’ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s words mirror a lot of sentiments right now.

For, Roger Federer bid adieu at 41. Nadal is 37. Mathematical logic would have still given the latter a year or two at making more records. Perhaps a Grand Slam title or two more to add to that 22?

Well, Nadal might not be taking the Centre Court at Wimbledon, but he is definitely on many minds. Nicholas Kyrgios’ surely. He revealed in the recent Part 2 of Netflix’s Break Point that the second-round loss to Nadal at Wimbledon in 2019 was so crushing that eventually he had to be admitted to a psych ward. His frustration was evident when he literally took a shot at Nadal during the match. He wanted to hit him “square in the chest”. Still, Kyrgios was always in awe of Nadal’s ability to deal with pressure and bouncing back from injuries. That is why it was difficult to say if Novak Djokovic was being sceptical or relieved when he said ‘a lot of people retired him already 10 years ago but he kept going…’, on Nadal’s intention of retiring in 2024.

Djokovic definitely didn’t miss Nadal not being a part of Roland Garros draw. After all he had managed to beat him only two times and lose on eight, and to achieve that he had to leave his ‘heart and guts out on the court’. Yet, “when he announced that he’s going to have his last season (of his career), I felt part of me is leaving with him too,” he said.

Perhaps it is time to let it sink in that we might be staring into a tennis world without Nadal.

Federer sure knows it.

The two might have given every ounce of their being to beat each other, the mutual respect and camaraderie always made the duo outright favourites in the Big 3 or GOAT conversations. The effect was apparent among the fans too. So much so that Nadal fans would rather see Federer taking the title if not him, but not Djokovic. That Roger-Rafa picture of both sitting, holding hands, and crying during the former’s farewell at Laver Cup last year says it all.

They have, though, grown distant.

“It might also show a little how much he’s struggling with his body,” Federer was quoted as saying. “It’s always been like that, when he doesn’t think it’s going so well, we get a little apart.”

Is this really the end of an era; time to pass on the baton?

Djokovic though has no intention of retiring, ‘but things can change quickly – I am 36.’

Age does not seem to be a mere number anymore. The hunt is on for the next heir apparent.

After his win at Queen’s Club last Sunday, some could already see streaks of Nadal-esque domination in Carlos Alcaraz. Both are from Spain… Both won their first grass court title at Queen’s Club – 15 years apart… Alcaraz became the first player to ever beat Djokovic and Nadal back-to-back on clay (Madrid Open 2022)… The younger Spaniard also became the first teenager in the Open Era to top the men’s rankings after he won the 2022 US Open.

Well, in a fortnight’s time starting this Monday, we shall know how helpful world No. 1 and Wimbledon top seed Alcaraz proves in helping many move on. If at all! Or, Djokovic would rather settle the GOAT debate once and for all, statistically speaking. “But I think as long as Rafa is still playing, you can’t answer that definitively,” feels Federer.

For, Nadal looked ‘too good to be a man on the verge of retirement’ when he made an appearance at a charity golf event recently, and at his academy on Wednesday where he unveiled his statue too. The towering one at Roland Garros is aptly made of stainless steel. His determination, after all, makes even Loki cry.

The argument lives on!

‘The rest is just wishes and hope, the most fragile of things.’