New Delhi [India], December 14 : Czech Republic's Lukas Rosol, who caused one of the biggest upsets as he defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, said that the 22-time Grand Slam champion will face many problems and challenges in his comeback.
With a full year out of the game due to an iliopsoas injury in his left leg, the Spaniard is now counting down the days until his return to professional tournament tennis at the ATP 250 in Brisbane, which begins on December 29.
"Yes, Rafa will start again soon, probably already in AO24 (Australia Open), it is gonna be for him a big challenge because he is already 37 years old, and for sure he will face many problems and challenges. I think it will be his last year and a maximum of 12 tournaments. I don't think he can do more," Lukas Rosol, who is participating in Tennis Premier League 2023 in India, told ANI.
In a recent social media video, the 22-time Grand Slam champion discussed the potential of retiring, adding that there is even a chance he will retire midway through the season if his body does not cooperate.
In a season with extra incentives, such as the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where tennis will be played on Roland Garros clay, the Spaniard has simply conveyed a message of hope. Only time will tell what the boundaries of his decisions are, including the date of the end of a career that has already gone down in modern sports history.
"It is a reality, there are many chances that it will be my last year, without any doubt. There are chances that it may only be half a year. There are possibilities that it may be a full year. There are possibilities that we may not be able to reach all that. These are things that right now I do not have the capacity to be able to answer. I am only in conditions to say that I return to compete. There are many possibilities that it is my last year and I am going to enjoy the tournaments in that way," Nadal said as quoted by ATP.
Season 5 of Tennis Premier League (TPL) kicked off on Tuesday at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune.
Former World No. 26 Rosol is donning the jersey of the Pune Jaguars in TPL.
"TPL will benefit Indian tennis a lot. You can see how many kids coming to see tennis these days and also many young players watching all of us in action here in Pune, so I think it is a great inspiration what to do and how to solve some situations in the game. My opinion is that they have a big talent for these young players, kids and so on. I think if they have good people around them then they can be very successful! Everything is about the hard work," he added.
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