Rafael Nadal reveals when he could make retirement decision
Rafael Nadal has given a defiant response to reporters questioning his future, after the Spaniard suffered a straight sets defeat to rival Novak Djokovic.
Nadal was knocked out of Olympic singles competition after being beaten, 6-1 6-4, by Djokovic in their 60th meeting against one another.
The 38-year-old was facing a heavy defeat at 6-1 4-0 down, but offered a late fightback before Djokovic eventually prevailed on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
There has been very little competition for Nadal in the last couple of years due to injury struggles, and reporters questioned him after the match about what the future holds.
āI canāt spend all day thinking about that,ā Nadal responded. āI come here, and you ask me the same thing every day and in the end itās very difficult to get back to my best form if I think about whether Iām going to retire or not.”
He continued, āI have been suffering a lot of Āinjuries the last two years. So, if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going, or physically Iām not ready to keep going, I will stop, and I will let you know. But I donāt think every day about if I am retiring or not. When this tournament is over, I will take the necessary decisions based on my feelings and desire.ā
So much respect between two of the best! š¬#Paris2024 | #Olympics | #tennis pic.twitter.com/urzyBtylAn
ā ITF (@ITFTennis) July 29, 2024
Nadal is a record 14-time champion at Roland Garros, where tennis is held at the Paris Olympics this year, having now potentially played his final singles match at the venue where he has dominated for so many years.
However, the Mallorcan claims that he has made peace with that possibility, “Even though he was comfortably beaten in what could be his final singles match at the venue. If thatās the last match here, Iāll be in peace. I did my best and I canāt complain.ā
Despite no longer being in the Olympic singles draw, Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz still remain in doubles and will play their second round match against the Dutch pairing of Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof later today.
Inside the baseline…
It was clear from the first game that Rafael Nadal was likely to struggle against Novak Djokovic, as he admittedly just is not physically the same player as even a couple of years ago. That being said, Nadal did still manage to show some of that grit that has made him the player he is over the years and turn it into a very competitive second set. And there is still a lot of promise for Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz as a doubles pair, especially as there is less physical pressure on the 38-year-old.
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