‘Forget the Unimaginable Demands’ – When Chris Evert Sympathized With Rafael Nadal After a Career-Threatening Injury Ruined His Olympics Stint

Rafael Nadal has always represented his country with pride in different events like the Davis Cup and the Olympics. In 2012, he suffered a knee injury which forced him to take one of the hardest decisions of his life. Subsequently, the tennis world came in support of the 22-time Grand Slam champion.

Former American tennis player Chris Evert was among the prominent personalities who sympathized with him, as he was going through the tough period. 

Chris Evert sympathized with Rafael Nadal after his Olympic withdrawal 

In 2012, Nadal suffered a shocking second-round loss to Lukas Rosol at the Wimbledon Championships and right after that, he suffered a horrific knee injury. Notably, the Spanish Olympic authority picked Rafael Nadal as their flag bearer in the London 2012 Olympics. Unfortunately, the Spaniard had to withdraw from the prestigious event due to his constant knee issues.

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Many fans took to social media and expressed their disappointment with the news. Replying to one fan, 18-time Grand Slam winner Chris Evert tweeted, “we sometimes forget the unimaginable demands on the body- get healthy- we want to c u around for a long time!“

In another tweet, she wrote, “And, we forget, no one works harder or plays more physical than Rafa- hope he rests well for the @usopen …“

Despite the warm wishes, Nadal still missed the US Open due to his knee injury. Additionally, he missed the rest of the 2012 season as well.

Nadal has two Olympic gold medals

Even though Nadal did not take part in the London Olympics in 2012, he still has more Olympic gold medals than both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic combined. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Nadal won his first Olympic gold medal, as he beat Djokovic in the semis, and in the final, he beat Fernando Gonzalez to clinch his maiden Olympic gold medal.

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In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Nadal won his second Olympic gold medal and this time it was in doubles. He partnered with fellow countryman Marc Lopez to bring glory to his nation, and win his second Olympic gold medal. Moreover, he carried the flag this time for Spain during the opening ceremony as well.

In 2021, Nadal withdrew from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics citing a foot injury, which forced him to miss the US Open as well. Currently, Nadal is all set to play the US Open in 2022 despite an injury concern earlier at the Wimbledon Championships.