Nadal, on his future: “We will see what decisions I make after the Olympics”

“Rafael Nadal bids farewell to [add tournament name]”.

After each competition in which the legendary Spaniard takes part, we inevitably see this type of article title making the rounds in the media. This year, we got an addended statement following Roland-Garros, as Nadal added the vague term “likely”.

Nevertheless, since the announcement of his return to competition in 2024, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has always been clear. Tirelessly, over recent months, the 38-year-old repeated that he was undoubtedly living his last year on the circuit, but that he was not closing the door to continuing in 2025 if his body would allow him to continue competing at an acceptable level.

I FEEL LIKE I’M FINDING AGAIN THE PLEASURE OF PLAYING, OF HAVING FUN.

— Rafael Nadal

Questioned again by L’Équipe during an interview published this Saturday, the 14-time winner of Roland-Garros reiterated his comments.

“I have never made a hasty decision, and that won’t be the case this time either,” he replied.

“My feelings in recent weeks have made me want to explore a little more, to see what can happen,” the Manacor native then clarified. “I feel like I’m finding the pleasure of playing again, of having fun.”

“I want to give myself a chance to see if my physical state stays at this level or if this is just a passing moment and it starts to go bad again,” he continued. “I’m giving myself time to see how I’m going to feel after the Olympics and then we’ll see what happens, what decisions I make.”

Nadal says when the time comes, he will have no problem making his decision to end his career. That time, however, has not arrived yet.

“But always with great serenity, with the satisfaction of having always done my best,” he continued. “And when I have to make a decision, in the end, I will make it without problem. I always said I thought this would be my last year, but I can’t be sure because at the end of the day you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.”

Olympics are the goal

During Roland-Garros, where he lost in the first round against Alexander Zverev, Nadal chose to decline the proposal made by the organisation to organise a ceremony in his honour. Having chosen not to participate in Wimbledon to avoid inflicting a transition on his body from clay to grass, the 38-year-old monument to our sport announced his participation in the Båstad tournament in early July 2024.

A passage on Swedish clay is intended to serve as preparation for the Paris Olympics, where he is registered in singles, but also in doubles with Carlos Alcaraz – an association awaited as one of the great attractions of the summer. A pair with 25 Grand Slam titles, and – for certain – Nadal’s last Olympics.

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