Rafael Nadal recently dropped “great news” amid his campaign for the ATP 250 title in Bastad. The Spaniard has been struggling with his form ever since he made a comeback in January and after extensive striving, it seems like things are getting back on track for him. While history has already revealed the levels of intensity fans can attain to defend the King of Clay, recent attempts reaffirm it.

Rafael Nadal recently gave fans a revisit to his enormous form by making it to his first final since 2022 at the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden. The Spaniard overcame a tough semifinal match against Duje Ajdukovic, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Although he seemed to be losing initially, the 38-year-old turned the tables by converting all six break points against Ajdukovic. This win marked a remarkable comeback for Nadal, who has struggled due to hip and abdominal injuries over the past year and a half.

While his recent win was worth celebrating, a fan’s comment on social media appears to have crossed the line. He ignited a heated discussion by posting a picture of Nadal, with a caption that said, “I highly doubt if we’ll see a 38 year-old as good as HIM ever again.” This bold statement triggered a lively debate among fans of other former pros.

Nadal himself acknowledged the difficulty he had to go through to make it to the finals. In a post-match interview, the Spaniard said, “It was very, very difficult, honestly, but I found a way to survive and be through to that final after a long time without being in a final. So that’s great news and I’m very happy with that.” With his campaign strong in Bastad, it seems like he is more than just ready to unleash the action at the Paris Olympics. However, before that, a fan controversy continues to capture a share of his achievements.

“What has he done?” Fans disregard Rafael Nadal’s recent win as a feeling of comparison enters the chat

As soon as the Rafa fan page claimed that he had hit the biggest achievement for his age, other players’ fanbase entered the conversation. Although the post was meant to congratulate the Spaniard for his massive achievement, it took a detour, inviting supporters of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams.

A fan, remembering the year when Roger Federer was 38, wrote, “Federer at 38 made US Open quarterfinals, year end championships semis and Australian Open semifinals all while beating 6 top 20 players.” 2019 becomes another perfect example of Federer’s consistency. The Swiss tennis maestro made it to the finals at Indian Wells, Wimbledon and secured a title in Miami, making his lead evidently better than that of Nadal.

Another fan, pointing at Novak Djokovic’s recent run at Wimbledon, wrote, “And Djokovic is 37 and still making grand slam finals.” In his recent grass court major campaign, the Serb took down notable young rivals like Lorenzo Musetti and Holger Rune to make it to the finals. Although he couldn’t match the levels of the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, his performance was still exceptional.

“He’s playing at a 250 lol. Nadal won’t play in any other than clay, which by the way, didn’t he get beat in 1R of this year’s French?” another fan wrote, following the unexpected turn of events at Roland Garros this year. The 14-time champion faced a defeat in the opening match against Alexander Zverev. Although he faced a top-ranked and in-form competitor, the defeat was still disappointing for his record, especially for his last possible French Open.

Another fan, simply taunting the Spaniard, wrote, “Wait what has he done this year? cricket sounds He’s about to win a 250, what’s going on 😂.” Although Rafael Nadal made it to the finals after a long time, the event being an ATP 250 is not something noteworthy for someone who has had a career as shining as the Spaniard’s.

The debate even brought about the Queen of the Court. A fan wrote, “Mind you Serena was making slam semi finals and beating top 10 players at 39. Lets be serious.” Back in 2020, the former WTA pro hit massive achievements like winning the ASB Classic along with making it to the semi-finals at the US Open, which was followed by an Australian Open semifinal the next year.

With these and several other comments on a similar note, the fans made it clear that Rafael Nadal isn’t the only one who shines in his late 30s. As they took it as an area of comparison, the achievements of other players started to fit right in.