"Does anybody deserve to go out on their terms better than Rafael Nadal?" - Andre Agassi heaps praise on Spaniard at Netflix Slam

Andre Agassi praised Rafael Nadal as he assessed the Spaniard's future during the recently-concluded Netflix Slam.

Nadal returned to action for the exhibition event at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. The 22-time Grand Slam winner faced Carlos Alcaraz, who won the match 3-6, 6-4, 14-12.

Agassi also played a part in the event as he featured in the commentary team, which included Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, and Mary Joe Fernandez. Ahead of the match, Agassi sat down with Roddick and hosts Kay Adams and Prakash Amritraj.

During the discussion, Agassi spoke highly of Nadal, who is now 37 years old and hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2022 French Open.

"He (Nadal) won't take anything for granted out here tonight given his preparation and the dreams he has of going through the last phase of his career." the former ATP World No. 1 said.

The eight-time Grand Slam winner also said that Nadal deserves to see out his career on his own terms.

"Does anybody deserve to go out from tennis on their terms better than this guy? I mean, easy guy to respect, hard guy to play against, and a beautiful thing for the sport to have it here watching him."

---

Rafael Nadal is set to return to competitive action at the Indian Wells Masters

Rafael Nadal at The Netflix Slam

Rafael Nadal's hip injury during his 2023 Australian Open match against Mackenzie McDonald saw the Spaniard spend the entirety of last season on the sidelines. He returned to competitive action for the first time this season at the Brisbane International.

However, Nadal fell prey to injury once again during his Brisbane International quarterfinal loss against Jordan Thompson. Fortunately for the Spaniard, it was not an exacerbation of the problem that cut short his 2023 campaign and proved to be a less severe problem.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner had hoped to return in time for the Qatar Open after pulling out of this year's Australian Open. However, he chose to withdraw from the ATP 250 event as he prioritized a return to the more prestigious Indian Wells Masters, which starts on March 6.

Nadal has won the ATP 1000 event thrice in the past; in 2007 (vs Novak Djokovic in the final), 2009 (vs Andy Murray), and 2013 (vs Juan Martin del Potro). The Spaniard also reached the final of the tournament during his previous appearance in 2022. However, on that occasion, Taylor Fritz stunned the Spaniard to clinch the trophy.