The 2024 Laver Cup is inching closer, which means that Rafael Nadal's next event is nearing, and John McEnroe thinks it may be the last time that he will appear on the tennis courts.
The 2024 Laver Cup will be played in Berlin, and Team Europe is bringing a really strong team with Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alexander Zverev. Nadal will also play at the event, which surprised some after he skipped every tournament after the Olympics.
The Spaniard confirmed his Laver Cup participation months ago but recently reaffirmed it, so he will certainly be in the German capital. Fans will get to see Nadal at the Laver Cup, but that doesn't necessarily mean he will play a lot.
Time will tell what will happen, but quite a few analysts believe that the event could be his final one. There are some fascinating parallels with Roger Federer, who retired at the event in 2022.
Nadal could follow that path, according to Team World's Captain John McEnroe, who explored the idea recently during the US Open.
"It feels like he is going to stop, maybe, at Laver Cup. Then again, Roger did it at Laver Cup a couple of years ago, so maybe he wants to do it in his own time. He still seems like he has an appetite to play."
"It seems like he is trying to get the body up to a level where he feels like he can play. Maybe see what he can do at the start of next year? I don’t know and this is a total guess, but Laver Cup could be the end for Rafa."
Many have floated the idea in the past, primarily because of the parallels with Federer. Federer will attend the tournament in Berlin, possibly being present for the retirement of his rival and friend.
As McEnroe pointed out, it does seem like Nadal wants to keep playing, but from everything we've seen, how feasible is it? He could continue playing, but would he be satisfied with early exits and maybe a quarter-final here and there?
"He really loves to play, more than almost anyone I’ve ever seen, but we’ve watched Andy Murray for the last six years trying to get back to that level and it’s hard when your body lets you down."
"It’s hard to walk way when you still want to play and you look at Murray and he wanted it so bad. It sucks when your body doesn’t cooperate and we will see with Rafa. I’d be a little surprised if he carried on playing."
Nobody really knows what will happen, and Nadal doesn't likely know, either. He promised to let everybody know once he knew what would happen next, and that's why many tennis fans eagerly waited. McEnroe would be surprised if the Spaniard kept going, but he's just one tennis analyst with his opinion. Realtiy can be much diferent.
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