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DATE: Monday 21 June EXPERT: Eurosport Tennis Expert and Seven DATE: Monday 21 June EXPERT: Eurosport tennis expert and seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander TOPIC: Mats Wilander comments on a range of talking points from the world of tennis at the moment On Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from Wimbledon and the Olympics My first reaction is obviously to be disappointed. I can see how the Olympics could be a big problem both physically and tennis-wise and then of course coming back to play the US Open, but Wimbledon I'm very disappointed I feel that obviously he has a really good reason to pull out because otherwise he wouldn’t. I think the two weeks in-between doesn't make it easier for somebody like Rafa with his style. I think he played maybe too much tennis on the clay courts, but that's what he does. I think more than anything I'm just really sad and disappointed. I would have loved to see the big three back in action again and fighting for this history that we're that we're all talking about. Do you think that it could be the consequence of his big semi-final fight with Novak? I think that the consequence for Rafa over the years for me has been that, while it is his greatest strength to leave every ounce of emotional, tactical and physical energy in the match that he either wins in the end or loses especially, I think that's his greatest strength. At the same time, it's most probably stopped him the most from keep on playing because he cannot leave a court without having given 100% and sometimes that means that you go further in your heart than your body allows you to. I think that's what stands out with Rafa compared to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic but at the same time, I wouldn't wish it any other way because I love seeing Rafa, literally, giving it all on a tennis court We saw this week that Thiem is not going to the Olympics, Osaka is not going to Wimbledon, Rafa is not going to both Wimbledon and the Olympics – is there anyone to blame for this situation? I'm not sure there's anybody to blame. I think that's the consequence of being part of the Olympics. I think that the Olympics is the biggest sporting event in the world but more than that, I think it's the sporting event that supports grassroots athletics and sports in smaller countries where they normally wouldn't have the money. But through the Olympics, the government will fund some of the programs in countries that need funding so I don't think there's any way out of it. I think it's just unfortunate that we - unfortunately or fortunately - have four majors every year, more than any other sport it seems, that are as important as the Olympic gold, and then the one that suffers is the Olympics, often, because it just doesn't fit in the schedule. So I think it's just a natural thing that happens. I think if you've won an Olympic gold medal in tennis. I think you would like to win another one but more than anything, you just miss out on playing for your country, but at the same time you have a gold medal already so I'm not surprised. And do you think that the rat race between Novak, Rafa and Roger could have influenced the decision of Rafa? I think the rat race - in our eyes - influenced the decision for sure. But what it also tells me is that there is no rat race in between the three of them yet. I think they are all in the middle of their careers even though we might think they are towards the end. I think that as long as they are in it, to them it will seem like there is no ending. I think, if anything, it tells me that Rafa is listening to his body. This is not the last lap. This was not the last Roland-Garros he played. Hopefully he will play another Wimbledon at least. I think it just tells me with Roger and Rafa – “we are not gone we are just saving our bodies, we will be in this game for another three or four years”. Again, for them, those are just numbers at the moment and I don’t think they label one or the other the Greatest Player Of All Time. In five years maybe, but right now? It tells me that they are not listening to us in the media! We see Roger leaving Roland-Garros after three matches, we see that Rafa has to pull out from Wimbledon and the Olympics, do you think that Novak can endure the whole stretch of events of Roland-Garros / Wimbledon / Olympics and the US Open? Do you believe he can do it and do you believe he is willing to do it? I think that he is willing to give it a shot. I do think that he can do it. But always in a very strange way the US Open seems to be the culmination of “Are you fresh or not fresh?”, because usually in New York, emotions run very high, it is towards the end of a very long season and Novak would obviously have had a very long season. I don’t think we are going to see any benefit, rewards or even unsuccessful attempts until we go to the US Open. I think he wants to show to himself that he is super-human. And I think he is super-human when I see him play. I think his body can handle it. I actually feel he most probably needs to play matches to keep the intensity high - so this is a year where Novak can win the Golden Slam in my eyes. In the case of Naomi Osaka, did her withdrawal from Wimbledon come as a surprise? No, it does not come as a surprise that she pulled out of Wimbledon. I think after what happened in Paris, Wimbledon comes a little bit too close. And I don’t know if you can recover or improve your mental health in just three or four weeks ahead of Wimbledon. So, I think she is doing the right thing. I do agree that if the Olympics are in your country and you are the biggest star your country has, you have a responsibility towards the Olympics and towards your country, more than playing Wimbledon. She will be playing Wimbledon for another ten years. The Olympics are being played on her best surface, back home. It will inspire a generation of new athletes in Japan and I completely agree with her decision to skip Wimbledon and to be ready for the Olympics. I think that she has to think about the consequences of her presence on social media and I guess she will learn from this experience more than we can imagine. So, I expect her to comeback stronger than ever when she’s back on the hard courts. Could you imagine being in her shoes - is there any way to deal with the extreme pressure Naomi has been under? In one way, I cannot imagine what it is going to be like for her to go back to Japan - she is at home in the country that she represents, they will try to be most probably a bit more careful around her and listen to what she has to say and how she is feeling. But at the same time, we have to remember that she has had bouts of depression since 2018. So, it is not like it just happened now. She has learnt how to deal with it for three years and it just came to a crash landing now it seems, at least officially. So, I don’t know, it is not a new thing and she might be towards the end of dealing with it in a way. We don’t know that because it just came out. It sounds like the beginning to us but three years ago she had this already - so I don’t think it is as desperate as it sounded to the rest of us. Dominic Thiem skipping the Olympics when he has not played that many matches - surprising? Dominic Thiem winning his first major in his late 20s - I guess 29 - and then feeling like he's feeling, reminds me of what happened to me after I won the US Open in 1988, even though that was my seventh. I felt like being number one in the world had become my materialistic goal. It happened and I couldn't find a motivation for a while so I can completely understand Dominic Thiem more than anything. These top players like Novak, Roger and Rafa have literally played pretty much all the time for the last 15 years and reached the latest rounds - that era most probably will never happen again in terms of results and in terms of participation. So, it's been a very special time that we have to be willing to kind of forget and not measure the next generation towards that. What will be the key for Andy Murray to do well in Wimbledon? What would be in your eyes, a successful result at Wimbledon? A success for Andy Murray to me would be to win a couple of matches. Prove to himself and to the locker room that he can win a four-set match, a five-set match and then threaten one of the big guys, maybe in the third round or the fourth round or the quarter-final.
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