Rafael Nadal has spoken candidly about his long-term future in tennis in the wake of his historic defeat at the 2024 Roland Garros.
For many weeks of the 2024 season, the question of whether Nadal will play beyond this year has been raised in almost every one of his direct interactions with the media.
After losing to Alexander Zverev in the first round of the French Open, the Spaniard revisited the dialogue and addressed the question again. Defeat to the German World No. 4 signaled the end of an era. It was the first time Nadal lost an opening match at the clay-court Grand Slam.
Having battled two separate hip injuries since the start of the 2023 season, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has struggled to find his way into the top tier of the sport, playing in only a handful of tournaments in the first half of the current season.
But in a more telling verdict, Nadal told reporters after bowing out in Paris that he intends to make a retirement decision after the Olympic Games, which, incidentally, will be held at Stade Roland Garros.
"Give me two months till Olympics, and then let's see if I am able to keep going or I say, okay, guys, it's more than enough. Let's see. I mean, today is not a moment to analyze all these kind of things. It's a moment just to keep going, accept the moment, and let's see what's going on."
In the same interview, Nadal also discussed the driving force behind his decision to prolong his career for many years despite numerous setbacks with injuries.
He placed his passion for competition right at the top and also stated that he enjoyed traveling to tournaments with his wife and one-year-old son. The 37-year-old has previously mentioned that he wanted his baby boy to have memories of him on the court.
"So in terms what's driving me, what's the force behind driving me, I mean, as I said, I'm a simple guy. I enjoy what I do. You know, I am passionate about sport, I am I am passionate about competition. I like to practice, I like to play tennis. I'm in a different moment of my personal life too, traveling with my son, wife, you know. I am enjoying these moments that will not come back."
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