The Tennis season 2024 is on and firing, not only with the on-court action but also with the off-court bits. An intriguing comment from tennis great Rafael Nadal on Naomi Osaka has stirred the controversy this time.
The Spanish legend spoke to the media on 31st December, Sunday, where he pointed out the differences between his and Naomi’s comebacks. Both of these superstars, Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, have been away from the court for a while now.
Rafael Nadal was out due to a major hip injury which required a surgical process. This meant Nadal couldn’t return to court as he served time in rehabilitation. Attaining match fitness was a big challenge for him. He was out for almost all the remaining years.
On the other hand, Naomi Osaka couldn’t participate in tournaments due to pregnancy. She wasn’t limited by knocks or injuries but faced a possibly greater challenge of giving birth to her first kid.
The Japanese tennis star first revealed about her pregnancy in January 2023, and followed it up by missing game time. Furthermore, she had been away for over 14 months during this time. Osaka gave birth to her child, Shai, on July 11th.
Both Nadal and Osaka have made a comeback in 2024. While Rafael’s first match back was a Men’s doubles match with Olympic gold medal partner, Marc Lopez, Osaka’s return was against German player Tamara Korpatsch.
The outcomes of their return were contrasting as well. Osaka won her match 6-3, 7-6 (9) but the duo of Rafael Nadal and Marc Lopez couldn’t. They lost the match to the Australian pair of Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 6-4, 6-4.
Addressing the press conference on Sunday, Rafael Nadal said,
“Well, I think Naomi and I completely different situation. I think Naomi, if I’m not wrong, she said that she lost a little bit the love for the game for a while and the passion for the game. Something that never happened to me.”
“So the biggest difference. She gets tired or lost little bit the motivation for this game or for this thing. That never happened to me. I had to be away because my body was not able to keep going.”
WTA World No. 1, Iga Swiatek expressed her excitement for the returning superstars, Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka
Iga Swiatek recently addressed a pre-match media at the United Cup in Perth, where she opined on the comebacks of tennis stars Naomi Osaka and Rafael Nadal.
The Polish player shared her expectations for the returning superstars Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka. She said :
“From a fan perspective, I’m really happy that they are coming back and I’m going to be able to see their game. Rafa obviously is a huge inspiration for me, so I just hope he’s going to play nicely.”
“Naomi, we may play against each other, so it’s pretty funny but I’m happy that she’s back and she could fulfill her other goals and now come back to playing tennis.”
Iga Swiatek on Naomi Osaka: “I’m happy that she’s back and she could fulfil her other goals and now come back to playing tennis.”
— Reem Abulleil (@ReemAbulleil) December 22, 2023
More from Iga here: https://t.co/jeLIZjP3GRpic.twitter.com/bP05PlhNxv
