Rafael Nadal has one objective to fulfill before the end of his playing career, and it may not necessarily be to win another Roland Garros title.
Nadal would love to prolong his career beyond the current season. Still, with every passing week, that goal is becoming even harder to accomplish. Injuries have crippled the legendary Spaniard, while at the same time, he is succumbing to father time.
The 37-year-old has battled two separate hip injuries, which occurred almost simultaneously in January of the past and current year while competing in Australia.
Last year, Nadal had to shut down his season after losing to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open. This year, a hip injury he sustained in a quarterfinal defeat to Jordan Thompson in Brisbane was not quite as damaging but has affected his schedule.
Nadal recovered within a few weeks but skipped tournaments in Doha, Indian Wells, and Monte Carlo in the past couple of months. He only made his comeback at the Barcelona Open this past week, where he fell to Alex de Minaur in the second round.
This week, he is playing at the Madrid Open, where he demolished American teenager Darwin Blanch in his first match. As fate would have it, he will play de Minaur in the second round.
Nadal told reporters after the match that he wants to impart a lasting tennis memory for his son, Rafael Jr., who is one year and seven months old, before he stops playing tennis. The 22-time major champion's son has frequently been present in his box during matches and even on practice courts.
"I would've love to play a little bit longer and give him a memory of myself playing tennis. That's what would be ideal thing for me, my wife and family. But I will probably not be able to make that happen."
Nadal explained that the situation may "probably" not happen, but he is equally happy to have the most important people in this world cheering for him and being part of his life even when he stops playing.
"But at least I'm happy to have a great team of family and friends around me during all my life that helps me in every single way of being happy. In some way it makes me feel great. Hopefully, they are going to be next to me in the future after my tennis career. That makes me feel great and super happy."
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