Rafael Nadal has stated that the Paris Olympics could be his final act in tennis, with the Spaniard admitting he will now need some time to ‘relax and examine 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. The dust is yet to truly settle on his last Olympics campaign but Nadal has pondered his future ahead 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. The Spaniard also lost out at the quarter-final stage of the men’s doubles partnering team-mate Carlos Alcaraz.
Speaking after returning home, Nadal said: “It is time to recuperate, to take some time and in a few days to review everything that has transpired throughout 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 great, wonderful 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 how it is. There is no need to analyse much more. I only have to analyse when I will have the flight back home.”
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.
Despite a solid showing in Paris, Nadal and the 21-year-old Alcaraz were knocked out in the men’s doubles quarter-finals by the American duo of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
Speculation over Nadal’s retirement has grown following the Olympics, with the tennis legend hinting he would skip the US Open this year. He added: “It looks like not but I’m going to let you know soon. For me now, I can’t offer you a clear response, I need some time. But for me it looks problematic.”
Nadal’s spectacular career spans 23 years, during which he has won 22 Grand Slam victories – including an unparalleled 14 French Opens, two Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens, and four US Opens.