Former ATP player Alex Corretja shared his thoughts on Rafael Nadal's Laver Cup withdrawal, admitting that he was surprised by the decision.
For the longest time, Nadal maintained that he would play at the 2024 Laver Cup and see what happens afterward. That was his goal, and he repeated it several times over the past few months.
His statements were very clear: After the Olympics, he would go to Berlin, play there, and assess where things stand. Unfortunately, it won't happen because a few days ago, Nadal communicated that he wouldn't be able to attend the event.
It was hugely surprising because, according to reports, Nadal has been working out and practicing since the Olympics. He was supposed to be ready to play, but choosing not to means that he's not.
The truth might possibly be somewhere in the middle, but the outside world can only go by what Nadal says and does. His compatriot, Corretja, was very surprised by the withdrawal because playing there made sense to him.
It's a somewhat relaxed competition, so he could have tested himself in a less demanding situation, but Nadal opted against playing, and that surprised Correjta, who spoke to Eurosport.
"I was really surprised because I thought the Laver Cup was a more relaxed competition, although once they’re there, the teams always want to win, but you can play singles or doubles, it can be adapted more to what you need."
According to Corretja, the more pressing question is about the 38-year-old's availability. Not being able or not wanting to play in the Laver Cup sounded a bit of an alarm because if he's not ready to compete at that competition, he's unlikely to play at anything else this year.
Nadal confirmed that recently when he admitted that he doesn't have any more goals for this year. This basically sounds like a player saying that he won't play anything else this year without outright saying it that way.
Ultimately, Corretja just hopes that Nadal recovers as well as possible so that fans can see him on the courts again when he feels it's appropriate.
"When I read yesterday that he wasn’t going to compete, I was a little alarmed: if he’s not ready to compete in the Laver Cup, when will he be? I hope he recovers or when he feels he’s fit again, he’ll go back to where he thinks is appropriate."
One interesting tidbit to observe will be what happens with Nadal in October. The Spaniard was named as one of the players set to compete at the exhibition tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Riyadh Season 2024.
As Nadal earlier signed up to be the tennis ambassador in Saudi Arabia, it's very likely he'll be there in some capacity. Whether he plays or not remains to be seen, but that event is about a month away.
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