Rafael Nadal didn’t play a lot of tennis this year, but he was able to attend a few tournaments, and one of the players he faced gave an honest opinion about how it felt playing Nadal in 2024.
Zizou Bergs is a Top 100 ranked player who has been up and down over the course of his career. He’s a fairly solid player who found a good level this year, winning many matches on the ATP Tour.
It’s why he’s back in the Top 100 after being out of it due to a wrist problem that bothered him for a very long time. Bergs is one of those players that faced Nadal this year as they met at the famous Foro Italico in Rome at the Italian Open.
Bergs was playing some inspired tennis then, having won two qualifying matches, but it wouldn’t be enough for Nadal. It was enough to win the opening set, which he did, but he then wasn’t able to sustain that level to ultimately beat the 22-time major winner.
Playing Nadal was a cool experience for him, but it was obvious to Bergs that this wasn’t the Nadal of old. In an interview with tennis publication Clay, the Belgian explained how it felt, pointing out that Nadal was a little slower than he once was and that his level was not the same as a few years ago.
Speed is crucial on a clay court, and even his hitting isn’t as good as it once was, according to the young Belgian player, which makes Nadal less of a threat on all courts, even his beloved clay courts.
“His average level is not the same as before. He is also a little slower.”
Bergs further spoke about playing Nadal, admitting that, at times, it did look like the Nadal of old. He had some highlights in that match, which made fans think that he might be back, but it didn’t quite happen that way.
“He can also play very hard. These are two aspects of the rally that are relatively difficult to compete with. So it was more like, okay, it has to be important to get on the court a lot. You have to give yourself a chance, being technical, playing a little bit deeper.”
Still, even in 2024, playing against Nadal was very hard, and to Bergs, it was clear that he was playing one of the best in history.
“With his forehand the ball curves, but not with a great angle. He had some flashes, obviously, during the match where he really showed that he is one of the best in history.”
The Spaniard is still around, even though time will tell for how long. Nadal isn’t as competitive anymore as he once was, but as Bergs pointed out, there are times when he looks like his former self.
He’s supposed to play at an exhibition in Riyadh soon, which will give fans a chance to see where he currently stands in terms of his physical state and his tennis, since he will play some of the best players on the ATP Tour at the moment.
