RAFAEL NADAL GIVES RETIREMENT UPDATE AS HE SUGGESTS HE MAY PLAY AFTER THE OLYMPICS
Rafael Nadal has revealed he plans to wait until after the Paris Olympics before making a decision on his tennis future as he expressed he is “finding the pleasure of playing again.”
The Spanish legend explained he wants to give himself the opportunity to see if his physique “stays at this level” and did not rule out the prospect of playing into 2025.
Nadal had previously divulged he was likely to retire at some point in the 2024 season, but in recent months, he has left the door open to prolonging his career.
The 38-year-old was beaten in the opening round of the 2024 French Open by world No 4 and eventual finalist Alexander Zverev in his first Grand Slam appearance since the 2023 Australian Open.
In January, Nadal made his long-awaited comeback from the hip injury that ended his 2023 season, before further physical issues kept him out until the clay season as he returned in Barcelona in April.
Nadal will miss Wimbledon next month in order to prioritise his preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which will be played on clay at Roland Garros.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has decided to play the ATP 250 clay-court event in Bastad, which will run from July 15-21, ahead of the Olympics, where the tennis event will begin on July 27.
Nadal has addressed how close he might be to retirement and suggested he is hopeful of playing longer than would have been expected earlier this year.
“I have never made a hasty decision and that will not be the case this time either,” Nadal told L’Equipe. “My feelings over the last few weeks have made me want to explore a little more, to see what can happen.
“I feel like I’m finding the pleasure of playing again, of having fun. I want to give myself a chance to see if my physique stays at this level, or if this is just a passing moment and it starts to go bad again.
“I’m giving myself time to see how I’m going to feel after the Olympic Games and then we’ll see what happens, what decisions I make. But always with great serenity, with the satisfaction of having always done my best.
“And when I have to make a decision, in the end, I will make it without problem. I always said I thought this would be my last year, but I can’t be sure because, at the end of the day, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.”
Nadal is set to compete in both singles and doubles at the Paris Games as he looks to add to the gold medals he won in 2008 and 2016. The former world No 1 will partner 21-year-old compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in a dream Spanish men’s doubles team.
2024-06-15T11:45:30Z dg43tfdfdgfd