Rafael Nadal is making every effort to avoid talking about his retirement even though the Spaniard may not have many more tennis matches to go. Instead, he wants to play a little while longer.
Rafael Nadal has shown that he is not yet thinking about retiring.
The tennis legend, whose career spanned more than two decades, had previously hinted that 2024 would be his last year on the circuit. However, given that the Spaniard is frequently questioned about when he will finally leave the court, he might be regretting his suggestion.
The 38-year-old Rafael Nadal opted to play singles and doubles in the Olympic Games rather than compete at the US Open. When exactly fans can expect to see him back on the court is currently unknown.
But given his recent remarks, it’s possible that he won’t be giving up on the sport for some time. “It’s an option [to play again at Roland Garros], right now the goals are over and I’m giving myself time,” Rafael Nadal stated in an interview with El Hormiguero. Along with other things in life, I’m enjoying my training.
“I am aware that I will be retiring. The question is typical, I’ve had a lot of physical issues, and it’s been a while. There comes a point at which I can no longer bear the thought of retiring, as doing so would prevent you from trying to the end.
“After a year and a half off the court, I’ve given myself some time to enjoy tennis, and that’s what I’m doing—enjoying the day to day. Ultimately, I’m allowing myself space and choosing my course of action once I’m certain of it. I make an effort to do things as well as I can.”
Most importantly, he begged reporters not to bring up his retirement at every press conference because if they do, I’ll start to think that I’m going to retire.
Nadal’s injury-plagued 2023 season bore many similarities to his 2024 campaign. He missed most of last year’s and this season’s campaign due to a hip injury.
Even though he returned in time to play in the French Open, he lost to eventual champion Alexander Zverev in his opening match.
Additionally, he lost to Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-4 in the second round of the Olympics, and Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram eliminated him from the doubles competition in the quarterfinals.
Despite the setbacks, Nadal maintained that his focus is solely on the future. “At this point, my year’s goals are over, and I haven’t accomplished what I would have liked to,” he continued.
“I expected to be in better health than I was; the injury I sustained at the start of the year was unanticipated. Although I believe I arrived when I wanted to, my draw at Roland Garros was inappropriate.
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