Celebrated American coach Brad Gilbert recently gave a candid evaluation of Rafael Nadal's future in tennis.
Nadal is currently competing at the Bastad Open for the first time in 19 years. He amused the crowd earlier this week by saying he was "defending" the title he won in 2005. He has successfully reached the final at the ATP 250 event and will play Nuno Borges on Sunday.
To get there, he needed to win one of the longest best-of-three matches he has played in his career. He lasted the full four hours to beat Mariano Navone in the quarterfinal. Then, he battled back to defeat Croatian Duje Ajdukovic in the semifinal.
Therefore, Nadal will contest his first final since lifting his 22nd Grand Slam and 14th French Open two years ago. He spent almost the whole of last season recovering from a hip injury he sustained at the 2023 Australian Open.
Since his return to the Tour in January 2024, Nadal has struggled to reach the dizzying heights of glory days in the past. Injuries have mostly held him back, and he has not been able to play consistently in the first half of the season.
Gilbert, who coaches WTA star Coco Gauff, told Clay that Nadal has not committed to his retirement decision because he wants to gauge his best level when he is free from injuries. But the 62-year-old can't see him returning to his peak form at 38.
"He will probably never reach his best level again, but I think above all else, every athlete wants to be able to retire in his own way. He wants to be and decide that maybe it’s time to stop."
"He’s had so many injuries in the last two years that he probably hasn’t had a period where he really felt healthy. And that’s what he wants to know more than anything, before he stops, what his game is like when he’s completely healthy."
When he announced his withdrawal from the 2023 Roland Garros last year, Nadal told the tennis community that 2024 would probably be the last year of his playing career. But Nadal has not ruled out the prospect of prolonging his career beyond the current season.
A number of factors will aid his decision-making without a doubt, chief among them being his health. Nadal is taking all necessary precautions in every match and tournament he plays to ensure his body is in the best possible shape for long-term competition.
This explains why he withdrew from the doubles tournament after a taxing week in Bastad. Recurrent success will also tell him whether he can continue next year.
After such a legendary career, it wouldn't be worthwhile for Nadal to keep playing in low-key tournaments and lose. So, a potential 93rd career title this week will give him that fresh energy and restore his confidence.
He will play the Olympic Games later this month in singles and doubles and has so far signed up only for the US Open in the North American hard-court swing, which begins next week.
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