Rafael Nadal has confirmed that he will take a break from tennis after the Olympics to decide what the future holds for him. The 38-year-old is widely expected to retire at the end of the season but is yet to reveal when he will bring the curtain down on his glittering career.
Nadal is representing Spain at the Olympics and could face Novak Djokovic in the second round of the men’s singles competition, but a recent injury has cast doubt over whether he will compete. He is also set to join forces with Carlos Alcaraz to go for gold in the men’s doubles, with the tennis events being staged at Roland Garros.
The veteran Spaniard reached the final of the Swedish Open earlier this month to ensure he will go into the Olympics with plenty of positive momentum. On Thursday, he was quizzed on what lies ahead following the Games and revealed that he would be taking a break to regroup.
Nadal stopped short of confirming his retirement plans but insisted that he would play at the Laver Cup in September, saying: “Nothing is linear in this life. There are moments and states which normally go hand in hand with physical states. I try to enjoy and live what I feel at each moment.
“Always with a positive vision of what my day-to-day is within my possibilities. After this, I am going to take some time to think carefully about what I need for myself as a person, what I really want to do. I will play the Laver Cup. After the Games, I will take some time to think carefully about what I need.”
Nadal recently entered the US Open main draw on a protected ranking, which suggests he will play at least two more tournaments after the Olympics before retiring. For now, though, his focus is solely on the Games and doing his country proud in what will be his final appearance.
His doubles partnership with Alcaraz will be eagerly watched by fans across the world but the Spanish duo will face a tough test in the opening round against the Argentine pairing of Andres Moltini and Maximo Gonzalez.
We are aware that it will be a difficult match,” said Nadal. “We have to be focused and get the best out of ourselves and fight with the utmost humility and value each point. If we manage to spend time on the court, everything can become less complicated.
“It is a tournament with little margin. It is not just about getting along, but about playing well in doubles. He has not played for a long time and I have not played for two days last week. We have to automate the movements.
“We started slower, we have to understand where to return, where to choose the right shot because the spaces are smaller. We are feeling better every time. We will not have that from the start, but we are very excited and totally focused.
