Why Nadal’s Absence is Hurting Tennis

Regardless of the complaints that some have against him, Rafael Nadal is a great tennis player. He is an 11-time Grand Slam champion and probably the undisputed greatest clay court player ever. He is a fierce competitor and never gives up in a match. All of these qualities make him great. None of them, however, make him indispensable to the sport.Tennis has survived injuries to great players before. Top players have missed tournaments and Slams and people were disappointed, but no one stopped watching. Other greats stepped up and fans enjoyed watching other players step up and other rivalries blossom. Indeed, the domination of the tour by so few people-that began with Federer and Nadal in 2004 and continues today with them, Djokovic, and Murray-is somewhat of a novelty in this sport. Yes, there are consistently great players. But there are usually other guys who can step up and win.So why is Nadal’s current absence hurting tennis? We still have other great guys (Federer, Djokovic, M...