Tennis: Speculation about Nadal’s future

“I come here and I’m asked the same thing every day and in the end it’s very difficult to get back to my best form when I’m thinking about whether I’m going to retire or not,” Nadal recently replied to a reporter’s question about his impending retirement.

Will the 38-year-old, who is plagued by injuries, end his career after this season or will he perhaps stay on for another year? This question is not only on the minds of fans and the media, but also of his rivals. “Everyone wants to know. We’re all waiting to see what happens now and we’re all kind of excited,” said fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner’s last appearance was at the Olympic Games alongside Alcaraz. Nadal canceled his planned start at the Laver Cup in Berlin at short notice. He had already missed the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open this year.

Nadal only took part in the French Open, which he won 14 times – and lost in the first round to Alexander Zverev. “Everyone misses Rafa,” the German said recently.

End of career in front of home crowd?

In mid-October, Nadal wants to play in the exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia. At the end of November, the Davis Cup final in front of his home crowd in Malaga could be the perfect time for him to say goodbye. Nadal is currently still in the five-man Spanish squad.

“It’s possible that he will be with us in November,” said team boss David Ferrer with cautious optimism before the nomination. But the former professional also knows that Nadal’s injury-plagued body will decide which tournaments the former world number one will – or will not – take part in.

“We still have him”

His former rival Roger Federer encouraged Nadal not to delay his retirement forever. “Time gnaws at you. In the end, it might be helpful to make a decision at some point. And then, when it’s over, you just relax again and say: Oh, luckily no more training, luckily no more matches,” said the Swiss, who ended his career in 2022.

In addition to his 14 victories at the French Open, Nadal also triumphed four times at the US Open and twice each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. He was number one in the world rankings for a total of 209 weeks and collected more than 134 million euros in prize money alone. Together with Federer and Novak Djokovic, Nadal formed the “Big Three” that dominated men’s tennis for almost two decades. “There is only one Rafael Nadal. “We still have him,” commented Germany’s tennis legend Boris Becker wistfully.