Joe McConnell
When is Rafael Nadal likely to end his career?
The Spaniard confirmed that he will do so miss this month’s US Open and next play the Laver Cup in September.
His commitment to play the Laver Cup next month could increase the chances of the Spaniard following in the footsteps of his great rival and friend Roger Federer by retiring during the Ryder Cup-style event.
Federer retired from professional tennis in 2022 after an emotional farewell at the Laver Cup in London, where he played competitively for the last time in a doubles match with Nadal.
A similar outcome could also happen for the 22-time Slam champion, given his injury problems in recent years.
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Nadal reached his first final in two years, but was beaten by Nuno Borges at the Swedish Open
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We look back at Rafael Nadal’s crushing victory over Tim Henman on his way to winning the Italian Open 18 years ago, with a fresh-faced Andy Murray in the crowd
The chance to win another Olympic medal, with Roland Garros hosting the Paris Games tennis tournament, was behind Nadal’s decision to skip Wimbledon, but he lost early in singles to old foe Novak Djokovic before tasting disappointment in the doubles quarter-finals with Carlos Alcaraz.
Nadal’s lingering greetings to all sides of Court Philippe Chatrier after his defeat to American duo Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram on July 31 is indicative of someone who may not return to the venue where he won 14 French Open titles.
“Nadal clearly has a plan in his head, but he’s keeping his cards close to his chest,” said Broady, a two-time Wimbledon mixed doubles quarterfinalist. “As we saw with Sir Andy [Murray] These kids will walk away – and rightly so – only when they feel completely ready.
“I think Rafa still enjoys playing tennis a lot. Everyone loves the sport so much and if he can continue, then I think he would like it, which is why I think he didn’t announce his retirement at Roland Garros.
“I think he was thinking, ‘If there’s a chance, any way I can get back here, I’ll get back.’ But it’s just going to depend on his body and unfortunately his body hasn’t played well.
“It would be incredible if he chose to do it at the Laver Cup like Roger Federer did and he could have that really incredible celebration, worthy of his career.
“I think a lot of people thought he would choose to have that kind of celebration at the Olympics – at Roland Garros on Philippe-Chatrier – and play for his country, but who knows? We just don’t know.”
The Laver Cup will be held in Berlin from 20 to 22 September.
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Vscek Tennis met football icon Luis Figo at the Madrid Open, who praised Nadal’s career
With Murray having retired along with Roger Federer and Nadal unsure of when he will return, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic remains the only representative of the so-called “Big Four” still active at the age of 37.
But the end of an era doesn’t seem too far away, with Broady saying: “Novak’s body seems to be helping him at the moment, despite the knee problem he had surgery on before Wimbledon, so for him the question is when he will feel satisfied with his success, especially for the pleasure of the daily routine.
“There are a lot of things you do for tennis that aren’t necessarily for enjoyment, so when all of that is over, I think the Olympics were the icing on the cake for him, to feel accomplished for everything he’s achieved so far.”
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Nadal bid an emotional farewell to the Madrid Open as his home fans cheered him off the court…
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