Rafael Nadal not ruling out French Open withdrawal: Won’t be the end of the world

22-time Grand Slam Rafael Nadal sparked fears about retiring without playing the French Open for one last time in his career.

Speaking ahead of his return to the Madrid Open, Nadal said he is still not 100 percent, recovering from a muscle injury that has troubled him since his return to action from a long layoff earlier in the year. The Spanish great, a winner of 14 Roland Garros titles, said he is not thinking that it would be the end of the world if he doesn’t play his favourite tournament in May.

“If I arrive in Paris the way I feel today, I won’t play. I’ll play Roland Garros if I feel competitiveâ€æ It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I still have goals after Roland Garros, like the Olympics,” Nadal, who confirmed his appearance in the Laver Cup in September said on Wednesday in Madrid.

Nadal, who has played only 5 competitive matches on the tour in his last year as a professional tennis player, was preparing to be fit for the Roland Garros and the Paris Olympics. However, a muscle injury seems to be nagging him since the start of the season.

Nadal did not play the Australian Open earlier in the year after he returned to action with a third-round exit in an ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane. Nadal missed the hard-court swing in the US and missed the Monte Carlo Masters in clay and returned to action in Barcelona earlier in the month. He suffered a second-round exit, but said he was happy to be competitive at the highest level.

The Spanish great underwent hip surgery last year and missed most of the season, including his favourite French Open. Later in 2023, Nadal said that 2024 might all but be his last season on the tour, and he wanted to give it his all once last time on the tour.

WILL HE OR WON’T HE?
However, it’s not been an easy ride for the 22-time Grand Slam champion. Nadal has played only two tournaments. In a rather pessimistic press conference ahead of his first-round match against 16-year-old Darwin Blanch, Nadal gave his fans a bit of positivity, saying that he will try hard in Madrid and look to improve his fitness before the French Open.

“The goal is to finish the tournament alive, in physical terms. Madrid has given me everything, so… we’ll see. In sport things can change very quickly. If I’m not there to try to make it change, the change won’t happen. But I’m here giving myself a chance, to see if I find better feelings… and I have to be prepared if I’m at home it doesn’t happen. If I don’t lose hope.

“If I stay there, nothing tells me that the situation won’t change in a few weeks. I’m here to give myself a chance and be ready if that change happens,” he said.

Rafael Nadal earned direct entry to French Open main draw via protected rankings. The cut-off rankings for the men’s singles draw was 99 but Nadal, along with Marin Cilic, Denis Shapovalov, Kei Nishikori and Kwon Soonwoo used the protected ranking method to make it.

The French Open will take place from 20th May to 9th June 2024.