Back in 2001, when a young Spaniard entered the tennis circuit, not many were aware of his presence. However, when the year turned 2005, he was all set to start his French Open streak as a 19-year-old. He was Rafael Nadal, the Spanish player with a charming appearance, adorned with a wide smile, polite attitude, and beautiful shoulder-long hair. But that was almost 23 years ago. Today, Nadal is no more a teenager or in his twenties, with 22 Grand Slams, a father, enjoying the sunset of his career. But tennis fans are happy with all the things mentioned except the appearance, as they question his aging.

Today, Nadal is 38 years old, with very little hair on his head, and instead of a full face, he has sunken cheeks. Certainly, 23 years of intensive work would take a toll on anybody’s body, let alone Nadal. Moreover, it was not just a tennis career, but the former World No.1 has battled numerous injuries, and surgeries throughout his career. And while his performance this year was anything but impressive. He is back on the court to prepare for the quadrennial event in Paris. But tennis fans are stuck on one thing as they are unable to digest Nadal’s aging process.

And what followed next was a barrage of opinions about the contrasting appearance of Nadal 23 years apart. He plays his first quarterfinal match in a long time in hopes of making it to the semi-finals of the Nordea Open. It would be a huge boost for the Spaniard, as the Paris Olympics is just around the corner. However, before that, tennis fans were filled with suggestions and somewhere worries for the legend.

“23 years of no sunscreen to hair”- Tennis fans riled up after Rafael Nadal’s 38-year-0ld appearance

Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Djokovic have either crossed 40 or are approaching the age but somewhere still look the same, while Nadal appears to be more aged. Though age certainly plays a big role in his appearance, tennis fans also think that the decades on the tennis court have contributed a lot to his looks. “You can literally see the difference in skin health where he wears his headband vs the rest of the head exposed to the sun. It’s hard to consistently apply when you’re sweating so much but i feel like Nadal’s skin aging is so much more than other pros.”- said one user.

While other’s are worried that “It’s what 23 years of no sunscreen does to a person.” In addition to, “Unlucky hair genetics and bad lighting.” Sun undoubtedly damages the skin, but did it damage it so much that Nadal looks past his age according to some fans?

It seems somewhat undigestible for the tennis community as they look at Nadal’s transformation in terms of appearance. The player with long locks, who needed a hairband to keep them away from his face, now has a somewhat bald head. And tennis fans argue that if he gets his hair back, and a bit of good lighting for the pic, the player could turn the time around. They said, “Give him his hair back and better lighting and he would look a lot younger.”

While many refuted the claims of his not using sunscreen. As this user claims to have spent some time in Nadal’s hometown, Mallorca says that after intense practice during the day, even the cosmetics fall short of protecting one’s skin from the harsh sun rays. And with over 30 years of working out under the sun, there would be some damage. They said, “I’ve spent enough time in Mallorca watching him practice and play to confirm He actually does wear a ton of sunscreen. The sun, however, isn’t very forgiving when exposed to it 4-5 hours a day every single day for 30+ years.”

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Whether or not he applies sunscreen, or it’s the age that has come into play, it’s still magnificent to be a part of the era the champion dominated the court.