Rafael Nadal's decision to retire was influenced by his loss to Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to his coach Carlos Moya.
Nadal's physical issues had been constant during the last two years before announcing his retirement. After starting 2022 by winning the Australian and French Opens, he sustained an injury during his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz.
The Spaniard was never the same player after that moment. An even more severe hip injury followed at the 2023 Australian Open, ruling him out for 12 months and preventing him from defending his French Open title.
Nadal made comeback attempts in 2024. He showed some promising signs during the clay court season and will count himself unlucky in drawing the eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev in the opening round of the French Open.
Despite performing at a level good enough to beat most players, Nadal lost to Zverev in straight sets. The 22-time Grand Slam champion then tried to get himself to a level good enough to compete at the Olympics at Roland-Garros by playing at the Bastad Open in July, where he reached the final.
After winning his opening-round men's singles match at the Olympics, the Spaniard faced Novak Djokovic. Fans hoped the pair would produce a contest of the exceptional quality seen many times during Nadal's incredible career.
Unfortunately, that did not happen. Djokovic dismantled his old rival on the court, on which he had so much success. Nadal did not play for two more months afterward before announcing his retirement last week.
Carlos Moya, who has been a member of Nadal's team for many years, told Radioestadio Noche that the 38-year-old viewed the Olympics as his last hope, which is why he decided it would be his last.
"The final point is the Olympic Games, he has a problem the days before and plays against Djokovic in the second round. I think that was his last great hope and that's why he decided that it will be his last."
Although the Olympics felt like Nadal's final hope, Moya says he still took a few weeks off to properly think about whether it was time to retire from the sport the 22-time Grand Slam champion has given so much to over the years.
"After the Olympics he takes a few weeks off and I think that's when he realises that this is going to be his last year."
Moya also feels Nadal could have had a better chance at this year's French Open had he not been disrupted by injuries before the clay court season and had the draw in the opening round not been as brutal.
"And then the clay court season starts, for which he had prepared with few hours of training and with limitations due to injuries. I think that if he had had a more pleasant draw at Roland-Garros (French Open) we would have seen a necessary change of trend. That didn't happen."
It will never be known whether Nadal could have gone far at this year's French Open with a better draw, but the memories from his 14 titles at Roland-Garros will never go away.
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