Rafael Nadal withdraws from French Open, set to end career in 2024
Rafael Nadal is close to the end of his tether after a series of physical problems, but the tennis legend has plans for a triumphant farwell on the court. Read all the details
Rafael Nadal has announced his intention to retire from tennis next year after confirming his withdrawal from the French Open and Wimbledon.
The 36-year-old, who jointly holds the record with Novak Djokovic for the most grand-slam men’s singles titles on 22, has conceded defeat in his bid to be fit for his most successful major tournament at Roland Garros, where he has won on 14 occasions. A lingering hip problem will keep him off the tour for up to six months, meaning that he is unlikely to return before the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November.
Beyond this, Nadal is planning a farewell tour in 2024 after admitting he is close to the end of his tether after a series of physical problems. The Spaniard is renowned for his warrior-like spirit but acknowledged he had struggled to be satisfied with life as a player because of the regular pain in recent years.
“My ambition is to stop to give myself an opportunity to enjoy next year, which is probably going to be my last year on the professional tour,” Nadal said.
“That’s my idea, even though I can’t say 100 per cent that it is going to be like this because you never know what can happen. But my idea and my motivation is to try to say goodbye to all of the tournaments that have been important for me and my tennis career.
“The real situation is I was not able to enjoy my daily work. Since the pandemic my body wasn’t able to hold the practices and daily work in a good way. I was not able to enjoy because there was too many problems, too many times having to stop for physical issues and too many days of practising with too much pain. I don’t know when I am going to be able to come back to the practice court but I want to stop for a while, maybe two to four months.”
Nadal has not contested a match since his Australian Open second-round loss to the American Mackenzie McDonald on January 18. Presently ranked No 14 in the world, his inability to defend his French Open title means he will drop out of the top 100 for the first time since he was aged 16 in 2003.
The issue that has troubled Nadal this year is in the psoas muscle of his left hip, which connects the spine to the legs. He has held regular training sessions at his academy in Mallorca this year but never felt fit enough to compete in the European clay-court swing.
“It has been very difficult because we were not able to find the solution to the problem I had in Australia,” Nadal said.
“I am still in the position that I’m not able to feel myself ready to compete to the standards that I made to play at Roland Garros.”
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Alongside Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, Nadal will be remembered for one of the finest careers in tennis history. While known as the “King of Clay”, he has succeeded across all surfaces, winning four US Opens, two Wimbledons, two Australian Opens and one Olympic singles gold medal at Beijing 2008. He was ranked world No.1 for a total of 209 weeks.
Nadal’s last hurrah on the tour is likely to be feverish and emotional. As well as saying farewell at the traditional tournaments, he will have the chance to contest a unique event at the Paris Olympics, where the tennis will be held at Roland Garros, so will be on clay for the first time since Barcelona 1992.
“It’s difficult for me to predict what’s going to happen and how my body going to be, so I don’t want to say one thing and then do the other now,” Nadal said.
“It’s better to hold the options open and see what’s the best calendar possible. I will like to play the things that are important for me and of course the Olympic Games is one of the competitions I will love to be in.”
Nadal will be in the unusual position of watching the French Open from afar - the last time he missed the full event was in 2004 when an ankle injury denied him a debut. Presently level with Djokovic at the top of the men’s singles grand-slam count, the door is now open for the 35-year-old Serb to take the outright lead with a 23rd major.
“Roland Garros will always be Roland Garros with or without me,” Nadal said.
“It will keep being the best event in the world of clay. Players stay for a while and they leave, tournaments stay for ever.”
Nadal’s fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old who will take over from Novak Djokovic as world number one next week, said the announcement was “very painful and sad for everyone”.“But I hope that 2024 will be a great season for you and that you can say goodbye like the great champion you are!” Alcaraz added
This article was first published by The Times
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