By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, May 11, 2024
Ten-time champion Rafael Nadal likely closed the curtain on his Rome career today.
Nadal opened up on how his 6-1, 6-3 loss to Hubert Hurkacz will impact his Roland Garros decision.
More: Hurkacz Hammers Nadal
The 37-year-old Spanish superstar says playing Roland Garros comes down to two simple choices.
"Probably one is to say, Okay, I am not ready, I am not playing enough well," Nadal told the media in Rome. "Then is the moment to take a decision in terms of not playing Roland Garros.
"Another is accept how I am today and work the proper way to try to be in a different way in two weeks.
"The decision, as you can imagine, is not clear in my mind today."
Roland Garros starts on May 26th.
Former world No. 1 Nadal said he's leaning toward doing what he does best: Playing Paris with full passion and complete commitment.
"But if I have to say what's my feeling and if my mind is closer one way or the other way, I going to say be in Roland Garros and try my best," Nadal said. "Physically I have some issues, but not probably yet enough to say not playing in the most important event of my tennis career."
Considerable challenges loom like hills suddenly sprouting up from the terre battue.
The 14-time Roland Garros champion has played just 11 matches this season after underdoing hip surgery on his birthday last June.
An abdominal strain sapped the speed from Nadal's serve in the initial stages of his clay comeback in Barcelona, and though he served with more sting in Rome, service holds are not often coming easily. In the opening set today, Nadal won just 44 percent of his first-serve points and overall won only 53 percent of his first-serve points for the match—he knows that's not good enough.
Then there's his soon-to-be 38-year-old body, which has been ravaged by injury in recent years. Nadal concedes he's still learning what shots he can hit from certain positions without risking further injury, a process which has made him a more "unpredictable" player even to himself.
A convincing closer throughout his career, Nadal sometimes struggled to finish points in today's loss to Hurkacz w and against Zizou Bergs in his opener. And while he will have much more room to roam and create on the expansive Court Philippe Chatrier canvas in Paris, it's unlikely he can grind through physical matches as he once did given the state of his body.
The man who owns a mind-blowing 137-3 record in best-of-five-set clay-court matches will be unseeded if he plays Roland Garros, which means he could draw anyone, including world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, in his opener.
Still, the good news is Nadal has a little more than two weeks to prepare for what could be his French Open farewell—and he knows if he can stay healthy he'll be back at Roland Garros for the Olympic Games this summer.
Nadal is exuding energy and enthusiasm on court and looks eager to compete.
The immediate question: Is there enough time for Nadal to gear up his game and body for what could be a very arduous path in his Roland Garros return?
Nadal has never lost back-to-back clay-court matches in his career and two weeks may give Nadal and his coaching team, including former French Open champion Carlos Moya, who was vocal in Rome, time to reload.
Conceding it may seem "impossible" to play Roland Garros at the moment, Nadal spoke like a champion inspired to battle again in Paris if his body permits it.
"Physically I have some issues, but not probably yet enough to say not playing in the most important event of my tennis career," Nadal said. "Let's see what's going on, how I feel myself mentally tomorrow, after tomorrow, and in one week.
"If I feel ready, I going to try to be there and fight for the things that I have been fighting the last 15 years, if now seems impossible. Let's see what's going on, how I feel myself mentally tomorrow, after tomorrow, and in one week. If I feel ready, I going to try to be there and fight for the things that I have been fighting the last 15 years, if now seems impossible."
Photo credit: Mike Hewitt/Getty