Rafael Nadal sheds light on future of tennis, says taller and mobile players could dominate the game

22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal reckons taller and quicker players could dominate the game in the upcoming years. Nadal noted that serve has become players’ potent weapon in the last few seasons with faster courts on display.

The Spaniard reckons it won’t be easy to get a break against taller and more mobile players. However, the former player, who retired in 2024, said that time hasn’t yet arrived as Novak Djokovic recently made it to the Miami Open final but lost to teen sensation Jakub Mensik.

“Tennis hasn’t changed anything in terms of rules throughout its history. People are getting taller and moving better. The serve has a decisive impact. If that power isn’t limited, someone over two meters tall with good mobility will arrive and you won’t be able to compete against him, you won’t be able to get a break,” Nadal told Eurosport.

“That day, for the moment, hasn’t arrived. Djokovic reached a final two days ago, I was competing a year and a half ago… it leads me to think that the change hasn’t been so abrupt yet because we’ve still had a chance of success,” he added.

On the other hand, former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli reckons Djokovic would go on to win his 25th Major title. The Serbian could not win a Slam in 2024 with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz sharing two apiece.

“For me, that desire to win everything, you see it in the depths of his eyes. That moment when he won Olympic gold… He never gave up on that quest. He wants to finish with 25 Grand Slams to be at the top of the pyramid and not have any name next to his, and I think he won’t stop until he gets that,” she said, as reported by L’Equipe.

Djokovic will be next in action in the Monte Carlo Masters, which will commence on Sunday.