Rafael Nadal shares some real information on the French Open.
The spectators at Roland Garros for Rafael Nadal vs. Alexander Zverev’s match undoubtedly gave the impression that they were witnessing Nadal play in his final French Open encounter. Supporting the legendary Spanish player during the game is one thing; given that he had won the competition 14 times and was making a comeback from injury, he would naturally be the favorite player of most people. For the spectators, what mattered was what transpired after the game.
They stayed put. It was obvious from their standing ovation and picture ops that they expected Nadal to never play at the event again. Sure, he might compete in the Olympics on the Paris clay, but not in the French Open. That was a whole other story.
The problem is, Nadal has never declared he wouldn’t compete in 2025. Given his age and recent ailments, he hinted that he might not be. Nevertheless, he never formally declared that he would be retiring in 2024.
Rafael Nadal discusses his reasons for not wanting a send-off ceremony at the French Open.
In fact, he performed well enough in his first-round defeat by Alexander Zverev to suggest that he was capable of defeating the majority of the players at Roland Garros. Nadal just got unlucky with his draw, and he probably played one of his worst possible matches against Zverev at his best. The Spaniard performed admirably despite losing in straight sets.
Nadal did not believe that this was his last appearance at Roland Garros, despite the reaction of the spectators after the match suggesting as much. Even at the press conference that followed the match, Rafael Nadal expressed uncertainty about his potential comeback in 2025, citing his inability to forecast the future. When he competed against Zverev,
Nadal gave an explanation of his reasons for not wanting a send-off ceremony at the French Open in a recent interview with L’Equipe. “Well, let’s go!” I responded at first, the Spaniard said. However, the fact is that I stated at the last minute that I didn’t want a farewell ceremony. Knowing that I did not have as much time as I would have wanted to prepare, I would have found it difficult to declare that this was my final event. And nothing stops them from delaying for a whole year.”
Of course, the final statement is absolutely accurate. In addition, it could seem strange to have a celebration for a player just after they lose. He must first be able to comprehend the match. After that, he can go to
“If the homage is held and I am retired, I will go there as a retiree,” Nadal went on. And of course I will be there if I continue to play. Because it was essentially compelling me not to play here again and I wasn’t ready at the time, I opted not to live with the concept that people had to pay tribute to me.”
A lot of sportsmen have left their sport to return later, which causes embarrassing audience reactions. “Is this player really done playing?” It is obvious that Rafael Nadal did not want to be asked the question..
