According to former British player Naomi Broady, Rafael Nadal has a clear retirement plan, but he won't share it with anybody.
The Spaniard 2024 Paris Olympics were the ultimate test of his career in some ways. They were played at the iconic Roland Garros venue, where he won 14 times, and many expected that he would do well there.
He did by winning the first-round match, but running into Novak Djokovic in the second round clearly wasn't part of the plan. He couldn't win that match, but his first-round win proves that he still has a bit of juice left.
It's unlikely that it'll ever be enough to win a Grand Slam again, but he's not really ready to retire yet. The Spaniard seems convinced that he can still give a lot to tennis, and he's refused to talk much about his retirement.
According to former player Broady, who spoke with Sky Sports, the Spaniard clearly has a plan in place for how it will look and when it will happen, but he won't share it.
She compared it to how Andy Murray didn't announce his retirement until he was completely ready. On the other hand, Nadal often claims that he doesn't know yet, but Broady is not sure she believes it.
"Nadal clearly has a plan in his head but he's keeping his cards close to his chest. As we saw with Sir Andy [Murray] these guys will only - and rightly so - step away when they feel completely ready."
"I think Rafa still really enjoys his tennis. They all just love the sport so much and if he can keep going then I think he would like to, which is why I think he didn't announce his farewell at Roland Garros."
According to Broady, the Spaniard is trying to buy himself some time, as he's still hopeful that he could reach a level high enough to compete for trophies, which would significantly alter his retirement plans.
"I think he was thinking 'if there is any chance, any way I can get back here I will be back'. But it's just going to be dependent on his body and unfortunately his body hasn't been playing ball."
"Whether he chooses to do it at the Laver Cup like Roger Federer did and able to have that really incredible celebration fitting for his career, that would be incredible."
"I think a lot of people thought he would have chosen to have that sort of celebration at the Olympics - at Roland Garros on Philippe-Chatrier - and playing for his country, but who knows? We just don't know."
His withdrawal from the US Open certainly wasn't a good sign, but for the most part, there is a lot of uncertainty as he simply hasn't stated anything outright. His fans and everybody else will just have to wait and see.