Rafael Nadal, one of the greatest to ever play tennis has found his name being mentioned in the headlines quite a lot recently. Whether these are related to his comebacks, getting sponsored by the Gulf states, or the most appealing of them all, his retirement decision.
In a recent interview with COPE, Rafael Nadal sat down to discuss his involvement in the Saudi Arabia sports project he has associated himself with. Within these discussions, a familiar, almost bitter topic for the Spaniard was raised by the interviewer. The interviewer questioned Nadal about his retirement plans and whether he considers that this year’s Roland Garros is his last one.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion replied that his recovery and decisions are proceeding at a day-by-day pace, and he doesn’t want to speed up the process. Even though the Spaniard mentioned that it could be his last year playing tennis, he said it isn’t a surety.
“This is going to be my last year but I don’t confirm it 100%. I will go day by day. I’ll say it before Roland Garros. I give myself a few months of caution. You know that things can happen, so I can’t define things months in advance after a year without competing,” said the Spaniard.
When the interviewer asked the Spaniard about his expectations from the upcoming Roland Garros and whether he believes that it is even possible for him to win the tournament; Nadal said that it was ‘impossible’ for him to predict the future as of now.
But, the Spaniard affirmed that if he didn’t have a shot at winning, he would not participate altogether. These statements highlight that Nadal still believes in himself in the same way he has done over the course of his career. The King of Clay is determined to give it his all.
“Today it is impossible for me to answer you, today it is very difficult to think that I can win Roland Garros, but I am excited to be able to arrive and enjoy playing Roland Garros. If I thought I had zero chance of winning, I would be doing other things,” Nadal responded.
Rafael Nadal backtracks from his comeback in tennis, saying the return seems hasty.
Former champion, Rafael Nadal has decided to withdraw his participation from this year’s ATP Qatar Open.
In a long post written on X, and his other socials, Nadal announced that he has officially withdrawn from the competition. Though he expressed that he was excited to take part in the competition, he said that he is still not ready to return to the game.
“I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans have always supported me greatly. Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win in 2014,” Nadal wrote.
But the Spaniard did provide a schedule for his return as he mentioned Las Vegas and Indian Wells as the two destinations where he is most likely to make a comeback now.
“I will focus on keep working to be ready for the exhibition in Las Vegas and the amazing Indian Wells tournament.”
I would have loved to play in Doha, where the tournament team, as well as the amazing Qatar fans have always supported me greatly. Unfortunately I am not ready to compete and I won’t be able to come to Doha where I really wanted to be and play again after that unforgettable win… pic.twitter.com/U4GUvIITcr
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) February 14, 2024
