Rafael Nadal's 2023 season might be the first season in almost 20 years of his professional career that he won't win an ATP-level trophy.
Rafael Nadal's career is worthy of a film, that's how iconic and legendary it has been. The undisputed king of clay, one of the best players in tennis history proved himself as a great talent pretty early in his career. He was 18 when he won his maiden trophy at the Prokom Open in Sopot, Poland.
The older fans will remember that final as he defeated former top 20 player Jose Acasuso in the final. It began an incredible run for him as he would win an ATP trophy every year for the next two decades. Technically his first ATP trophy came a year earlier.
As a 16-year old Nadal got his first trophy with the ATP logo when he won the Barletta Challenger in 2003 beating Albert Portas in the final. It was the 4th challenger final of the year for him but his first triumph. He would add another challenger final as a 16-year-old but lose that too.
Believe it or not, a teenage Nadal was beatable on clay. The rest of the year saw him contest another challenger final and this one would be a victory. So if you include the 2003 season where he won only challengers as ATP trophies then his run with trophies increases by one more year. The 2023 campaign hasn't been that good for him.
A hip injury in Melbourne proved more complicated than initially thought pushing his recovery date well past the original March prediction. It pushed it so far that Nadal will miss Roland Garros this year among many other events that he missed.
He'll miss much of the year as well per his own admission in the press conference he gave a few days ago however a comeback for the Davis Cup Finals could be in play. 2024 will likely be his last season but that's if he ever makes it back to a tennis court. Many hope that he will.
