December is already here. Another year has gone by and another disappointing year for tennis superstar Rafael Nadal. Rafael Nadal's 2016 tennis campaign has once again fell short and got beaten by his fiercest rival in the last eight years. And no it's not Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. It's not even ATP's Number 1 ranked player in the world Andy Murray. Injury has gotten the best of Rafael Nadal.
Over the years, Rafael Nadal has battled a variety of injuries. Back injuries, knee injuries, and just recently a sore wrist. Despite all the nagging injuries, Rafael Nadal still won 14 Grand Slam Singles Titles, 28 titles in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, 17 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments, a record tied with Roger Federer, and an Olympic Gold Medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. With all of those accomplishments, it makes everyone wonder if Rafael Nadal were free of all of those injuries, how many more titles would he have won. Which brings us to the next question, what's next for Rafael Nadal?
Out again due to injury, Rafael Nadal will miss the rest of the season. For the third straight year, Rafael Nadal will not play at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He just recently announced on Monday that he will play at the $250,000 Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition that is scheduled on Dec.29-31 in Abu Dhabi. Perhaps this exhibition will serve as a warm up for the big tournaments next year. Until then, Rafael Nadal will use his time off to rest, get healthy and come back strong next year.
The number one priority for Rafael Nadal for next year is to come back strong and to stay healthy enough to finish the season. Perhaps the best approach to take for Rafael Nadal and his camp is to choose wisely which tournaments to play. Conserving his energy in order to finish strong on major tournaments should be their top priority. Rafael Nadal is not a spring chicken anymore. At 30 years of age combined with his physical style of play, Rafael Nadal's body would eventually break down.
The conservative approach might be a risky move but it's the smartest thing to do. It might cost Rafael Nadal's chances at coming back to be the number one ranked player. But in the long run, it may extend his career a little longer.
