Rafael Nadalone of the greatest tennis players of all time, shared his reflections on his future during a press conference this Saturday in Roland Garrosjust before their debut scheduled for Monday against Alexander Zverev.
During the conference, the Spaniard revealed that there is “a great option that it will be my last Roland Garros, but I can’t say it one hundred percent. I don’t want to close the door. This place is magical for me”. Nadal, who has been training intensely on the tournament courts since Monday, expressed that he does not want to have “the feeling of trying for just one week” and remain in doubt about his performance after two years of inactivity and recurring injuries.
The Spanish tennis player stressed that, although he feels different from previous editions, experience tells him that “there are options for this to happen again,” referring to possible new injuries. Rafa has been practicing with various rivals, including Sebastian Korda, Stan Wawrinka, Mariano Navone and Holger Rune. In the confrontations with these ‘sparrings’, Nadal has emerged victorious in all sets, especially standing out in the last match with Rune, where the score was 7-5 and 2-0 in favor of the Spaniard in an hour and a half of play. at Suzanne Lenglen.
Precisely about these practices he commented: “It tells me that I am not that far away. I am not a person who usually deceives myself, I am critical of myself. But I’m being competitive against good and important people. The pity is that we are very close now and it has happened for a very short time. It is the first week that I play thinking about the ball and little else. I’ve been thinking for a long time about what movement I can do and what I can’t. In Rome I tried without power and mentally it undermines you.”
“I haven’t played for two years and I got injured again.. Maybe I’ll get injured again and I’d say it’s not worth it,” Nadal commented on his recent physical setbacks. The uncertainty about his ability to compete at the highest level is a constant concern for him, especially in a venue as emblematic as Roland Garros, where he has achieved multiple triumphs throughout his career.
Nadal, 37, did not hide his affection for the Parisian tournament. “I don’t want to be left with doubts,” she emphasized, adding that his desire is to compete fully and not limit himself to a short-term preparation.
Becoming the epicenter of a well-attended press conference, Nadal’s statement about his possible last Roland Garros raises a significant question about the future of one of the icons of modern tennis. The Spanish tennis player, known for his tenacity and competitive spirit, is at a professional and personal crossroads, facing the physical demands of the sport and his desire to close it with dignity: “Today I feel a little different,” he stressed.
“I was playing Parcheesi and they told me I was playing with Zverev. Not being seeded, he could wait for it. You have to accept it because I am not seeded. You don’t know if it’s bad luck. A priori it is not a good draw. “It comes from winning a Masters 1000 like the one in Rome,” he analyzed about his opponent at the start of the Grand Slam.
