This time, Rafael Nadal should seize the perfect moment. One last “Vamos” in front of the home crowd and fans from all over the world. One last self-sacrificing fight for his own country before the 38-year-old finally passes the baton to the new generation. When Spain plays for the Davis Cup title in Malaga at the end of November, the time seems to have come for the final adiós of the clay court king.
Nadal is in the five-man Spanish squad for the final round. Let’s see how long that will last. “It’s possible that he will be with us in November,” said team boss David Ferrer cautiously optimistically before the nomination. But the former professional also knows that Nadal’s injury-plagued body will decide which tournaments the former world number one takes part in – or does not take part in. “I have suffered a lot in the last two years,” said Nadal recently.
The Mallorcan already had the perfect opportunity to say goodbye in a dignified manner. Nadal could have long since been enjoying life as a tennis retiree with his wife Xisca and son Rafael junior. But the 14-time French Open winner did not take the chance when he triumphed in his living room in Paris in 2022.
In the history books, his final victory would have been his last match on his beloved Court Philippe-Chatrier. Instead, Nadal is struggling towards retirement and is struggling from one rejection to the next.
“Everyone wants to know”
Almost no one believes that Nadal will extend his glorious tennis years for another season. His performances this year were too weak. Wherever Nadal competes, he wants to win titles. However, duels with Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros or with Novak Djokovic at the Olympics made it clear that Nadal is no longer in title form.
Speculation about his retirement has therefore accompanied the Spaniard all year. “I come here and I am asked the same thing every day and in the end it is very difficult to get back to my best form when I am thinking about whether I will retire or not,” he recently reacted irritably to a reporter’s question.
Nadal’s future is also a question that concerns his competitors. “Everyone wants to know. We are all waiting to see what happens now and we are all kind of excited,” said fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz. If Nadal does not return to the tour at all, Alcaraz could at least claim to have been there at his idol’s last appearance. The Spaniards were eliminated in the doubles in the quarterfinals at the Olympics.
The 38-year-old had already missed the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open this year. Nadal only took part in his beloved French Open, which he won 14 times – and lost in the first round to Zverev. “Everyone misses Rafa,” said the German, hoping for another season with the Spaniard.
Federer’s advice to Nadal
His former rival Roger Federer, on the other hand, encouraged Nadal not to delay his retirement forever. “Time is gnawing at you. In the end, it might be helpful to make a decision at some point. And then, when it’s all over, you’ll just relax and say: Oh, luckily no more training, luckily no more matches,” said the Swiss, who ended his career in 2022.
In addition to his 14 victories at the French Open, Nadal also triumphed four times at the US Open and twice each at Wimbledon and the Australian Open. He was number one in the world rankings for a total of 209 weeks and collected more than 134 million euros in prize money alone. Together with Federer and Djokovic, Nadal formed the “Big Three” who dominated men’s tennis for almost two decades. “There is only one Rafael Nadal. We still have him,” said tennis legend Boris Becker wistfully.
But Nadal’s exhausting style of play took its toll and injuries kept setting the Mallorcan back. He was particularly affected by Müller-Weiss syndrome, a rare disease in which bone tissue in the scaphoid bone of the foot dies. In mid-October, Nadal plans to take part in the lucrative exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia – if his body allows it.
