Former World No. 2 Alex Corretja recently assessed Rafael Nadal's playing chances at the 2024 US Open and the uncertainty surrounding his future in tennis.
The final Grand Slam of the season will take place at Flushing Meadows in New York City. The entry list for this year's edition has been released and could potentially mark the return of Nadal at the US Open for the first time in two years. He is listed as one of the 128 men in the field.
But whether he will actually play the US Open leaves room for doubt because of his struggles on the surface. Most importantly, Nadal has been blighted by two hip injuries since the start of 2023, forcing him to miss the entirety of last season after the Australian Open.
This year, he's played in just a handful of tournaments due to health concerns. Nadal has been careful about where and which tournaments he was best suited to play and which aligned with his objectives for the remainder of his career.
Early indications are that he is unlikely to play beyond 2024, but in recent months, he's stopped short of wholly making this admission. Nadal has also been "annoyed" by persistent questions about his retirement.
The 38-year-old expressed following the 2024 Paris Olympics that he needed time to make that decision about his tennis future as speculation is mounting.
According to Corretja, who spoke to El Larguero, he understands what his countryman is going through right now and is analyzing both sides of the coin when it comes to his playing career.
"I understand all the positions. But at the same time, he also asked what would change if Rafa stays for three, four, six or seven months. Are we afraid of losing a myth? That the Rafa legend will get worse? That people, when he is 39, will think it’s a shame he didn’t retire?"
"Or will they simply remember all the good things Rafa did? If it’s three months more or less, will our perspective of him change a lot? I understand that Rafa says, ‘hey, I want to play as long as I want’, which we all share, and another thing is that if I say that I am retiring, this is already forever."
Nadal's next tournament is expected to be the US Open, but he already cast doubt about his involvement in the summer hard-court swing during his last interview in Paris. He won't play in the Canadian Open and isn't featured in the Cincinnati Open entry list.
Two-time Roland Garros runner-up Corretja believes Nadal's preparation for the US Open without playing any warm-up hard-court tournament will be far from ideal. He also opined that it is "impossible" that he will make an impression by making a late surface change.
"For the US Open on a fast court? You can’t get there without having played on a hard court in New York. Is he going to go to Cincinnati in 10 days with the change of surface again? I see it as almost impossible. He has to find a place where he says, this is as far as I want to go and it is worth making that effort, like up to the Laver Cup."
Additionally, the 50-year-old suggested that Nadal could still have a role to play for Spain in the Davis Cup Final later this year if they can reach the knock-out phase of the competition in November.
"What if he helps in one way or another in the Davis Cup team? Maybe motivating himself to play doubles and contribute something to the team that in September would put him in the semis and, maybe, if he goes to the final, he would play in November. If not, how do you train in Manacor now thinking about what I am preparing for? For me that is the problem."
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