Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal may only have very limited time remaining in their professional careers, according to former world No. 1 John McEnroe.
McEnroe spoke about Federer and Nadal nearing the end of the tunnel of their respective careers in a radio interview with WFAN host Marc Malusis. The seven-time Grand Slam winner insisted there would be a void in the sport once Rafa and Roger retires from tennis in two years' time.
"There's a void that's about to occur because of what's happened with (Roger) Federer and (Rafael) Nadal," McEnroe told Malusis, reports Tennis Now. "I mean, they're at the end, right? You can't imagine them going on more than a year or two."
Henri Leconte, a former French pro tennis player, is also one of those who believes there would uncertainty over the future of the sport once Federer and Nadal call it quits. Leconte said it would be difficult for both players to return at a high level, insisting that "when these guys [Federer and Nadal] retire, what will happen to tennis?"
"It's never easy to come back at a high level after not having played for a such long time like it happened with Federer," Leconte told SuperTennis TV via Tennis World.
Injuries have plagued Federer and Nadal's campaign in the 2016 season. The Swiss Maestro skipped the remainder of the year after re-injuring his surgically-repaired knee at Wimbledon, while the King of Clay followed suit to recover from a recurring left wrist injury.
Their latest setbacks have sparked speculations about Federer and Nadal possibly retiring in the foreseeable future, but both have been ever-optimistic about their return and have hinted a couple more years of competing at the Tour.
Federer is set to return from injury next year and will kick start his 2017 bid at the Australian Open. Nadal, on the other hand, has made a winning comeback to the match court at the Spanish National Championships in Mallorca.
