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John McEnroe makes heartbreaking comment about Rafael Nadal as icon misses US Open | Tennis | Sport

John McEnroe has made a heartbreaking prediction about Rafael Nadal's future after the Spaniard skipped the US Open.

Nadal has not played since being eliminated from the singles and doubles draws at the Olympics, and later withdrew from the final Grand Slam of the season, saying he could not “give 100 percent.”

The 22-time major winner will compete in next month's Laver Cup – a Ryder Cup-style team tournament co-founded by Roger Federer.

Nadal has not played a hard court tournament since January, when he returned from a one-year injury break and was injured again. Since then, the former world number one has only played on his favorite surface – clay.

Therefore, his withdrawal from the US Open was no big surprise. However, at his next tournament, the Laver Cup, he will again compete on an indoor hard court. Nadal will represent Team Europe for the fourth time. He also took part in the light-hearted event in 2017, 2019 and 2022. In his last appearance, he played doubles alongside Federer as the Swiss star bid farewell.

Federer officially retired at the Laver Cup, held at London's O2 Arena two years ago. After not playing a match for over a year, he played a doubles match with Nadal before retiring. And McEnroe now fears Nadal could follow his old rival and retire from the same tournament.

“It feels like maybe he's going to retire at the Laver Cup,” the American told Eurosport. “On the other hand, Roger did it at the Laver Cup a few years ago, so maybe he wants to do it in his own time.”

McEnroe believes Nadal still has the competitive spirit, but acknowledged that the Spaniard's body may not allow it. He continued: “He still seems to have the desire to play. It seems like he's trying to get his body to a level where he feels he can play. Maybe we'll see what he can do early next year?”

However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion believes the Laver Cup could be a realistic end point for Nadal, comparing his decline to that of Andy Murray. “I don't know and this is just a guess, but the Laver Cup could be the end for the Spaniard,” McEnroe added.

“He really loves to play, more than almost anyone I've ever seen, but we've watched Andy Murray over the last six years trying to get back to that level and it's tough when your body lets you down.

“It's hard to walk away when you still want to play and see Murray, who wanted it so much. It sucks when the body doesn't cooperate and we'll see it with Rafa. I'd be a little surprised if he continued to play.”

Nadal's body has kept him out of action for nearly two years. He injured his abdomen at Wimbledon in 2022 and barely played the rest of the year. In 2023, he suffered a season-ending injury at the Australian Open and underwent arthroscopic hip surgery in the summer. And since his return in January this year, he has played just seven tournaments.

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