Tennis player Rafael Nadal hinted that the Olympics in Paris might be his last match. The Spaniard also said he would now take some time to “rest and analyse everything.”
Rafael Nadal has intimated that the Paris Olympics could be his final performance in tennis as he weighs retirement. The Spanish athlete has already reached home in Mallorca and was welcomed by his dad Sebastian. Although Nadal’s final Olympic campaign is still fresh in his mind, he has already talked about his future in advance of the US Open later this year.
Speaking to IB3 TV, Nadal indicated he will take a breather to review his year in tennis and to select his next move. The 38-year-old icon didn’t able to grab any medals in Paris, failing against Novak Djokovic – who snagged his inaugural gold medal – in the singles rounds. Along with Carlos Alcaraz, his teammate, the Spaniard also lost in the men’s doubles quarterfinals.
Speaking after returning home, Nadal said: “It is time to rest, to take some time and in a few days to assess everything that has happened during these months and to figure out what I really want.
The event is different from the circuit and I have enjoyed it as much as I could. It has been a fun, positive week, it has not ended the way I wanted, but this is sport. I have not been at the level I needed to challenge for gold and in the doubles we have not been successful.” The 22-time Grand Slam winner reflected on his collaboration with Alcaraz after their quarter-final exit last week, as he said: “We have had a terrific relationship, we have been happy, with energy on the court, but it has not been possible. That is the current situation. No additional analysis is necessary. All I need to do is determine when my flight home will be.
Alcaraz and Nadal were dumped out of the Olympics.
Nadal, who has two Olympic golds to his name – one in singles at Beijing 2008 and another in doubles with Marc Lopez at Rio 2016 – said that winning in singles “was always going to be difficult”, but he believed there was an opportunity at a medal in the doubles with Alcaraz.
In the men’s doubles quarterfinals, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the United States defeated Rafael Nadal and 21-year-old Albert Alcaraz, despite Nadal’s impressive performance in Paris.
After the Olympics, there was more speculation regarding Rafael Nadal’s impending retirement. The tennis superstar even hinted that he would miss the US Open this year. “It looks like not, but I’ll let you know soon,” he continued. Right now, I’m unable to respond to you clearly; I need more time. However, it seems hard to me.” 22 Grand Slam championships have been won by Rafael Nadal during the course of his remarkable 23-year career, which includes an unparalleled 14 French Opens, two Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens, and four US Opens.
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