Rafael Nadal finished his 2024 Italian Open campaign but hinted that this would not be his final time in Rome.
Nadal has floated a few narratives in the past few months. One of them was that he'll retire at the end of this year, and that's the narrative that he floats on most often now.
A few others suggested that he might continue playing beyond 2024 if things go well, but they haven't been going well lately. His body doesn't seem strong enough to handle the ATP Tour in the way it needs to—at least, it hasn't the last few times he played.
He can certainly play beyond 2024, but what's the point if he's not going to be competitive? The truth is simple: He doesn't know either.
He once again confirmed that he never said that this was his last time in Rome, but it might be. While the Spaniard confirmed he would never return to Madrid, the Italian Open is different.
"I don't know about that. I never said going to be my last tournament here. I said in Madrid because that was that case. Here I am not 100% sure. Was probably 98%, but I will not say 100% when is not 100%, so..."
Of course, a ceremony is greatly deserved, but there are many around the world who would need to be staged. The Spanish legend received a ceremony after his last match at the Madrid Open, but he didn't expect one in Rome, as the situation was different in the Italian capital.
"Different feeling here than Madrid. Different story. Different kind of moment for me. I don't know. I didn't expect any ceremony honestly, no. If I retired, I think hopefully they going to have time if they want to do something in the next few years."
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