By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday December 31, 2023
The end of Rafael Nadal's career is coming, but the Spaniard still holds out hope that his journey will be prolonged.
Photo Source: Getty
Rafael Nadal’s comeback will begin this week in Brisbane, with the 22-time major champion taking the court for the first time since injuring his hip at the 2023 Australian Open.
Since then much talk of the King of Clay's retirement has transpired, much of it sparked by the Spaniard himself. The 37-year-old isn’t ready to commit to a specific date, but he does continue to hint that 2024 could be his last season, which could make making this trip to Australia the last of his legendary career.
This weekend in Brisbane, where he is preparing for a first-round clash with Dominic Thiem, Nadal discussed the possibilities.
“The problem about saying that's going to be my last season is I can't predict what's going on 100 percent in the future,” Nadal said. “That's the thing. That's why I say 'probably'.
“It's obvious that it's a high percentage that's going to be my last time playing here in Australia. But if I am here next year, don't tell me, ‘You said it's going to be your last season, because I didn't say it.”
Nadal prefers to leave the decision up to his body, and having not been able to compete on tour for 11 months, he isn’t sure how his body will respond.
“You never know what's going on, you know?” Nadal said. “I can't predict how I am going to be in the next six months. I can't predict if my body will allow me to enjoy tennis as much as I enjoyed the past 20 years.”
Nadal stresses that the key to 2024 and beyond for him will be to feel healthy enough to enjoy the competition. It’s not so much about winning and losing at the moment for him – it’s about feeling positive feelings and the potential for improvement.
“I don't know if my body will allow me to be competitive,” he said. “I mean, not in a way to win the most important events, but the way that makes me happy, feel myself competitive to go on court and to feel that I can compete against anyone.
“Doesn't matter at the end of the day if I win or don't. If I have those feelings...
In the end Nadal admits that there is a high likelihood that 2024 will indeed be his last season.
“It's not an easy decision, but I know inside myself that [there] is a high percentage it's going to be my last one.”
Practice makes perfect?
We best enjoy Nadal while we can, and at the moment, Nadal is feeling sanguine about his chances in 2024. He told reporters that he is ready for the challenge and excited to see how his body reacts to his first tournament of the year.
“I'm happy the way that I am practicing,” he told reporters. “Of course, I don't have the expectations that I used to have in the past, especially for the beginning. It's obvious, no? It's one year. It's surgery… For me it is a little bit unpredictable how the things going to be, no?
“In terms of how the things going to go in competition, it's completely very difficult to say, no? Competing is different than practicing. But in terms of practicing with the guys here, I am quite happy because I am able to feel myself competitive against the players that I played on the practice basis. That's a lot for me because I [didn’t know] know one month ago if I will have the chance to come here or feel myself enjoying the practices with the guys because [there was] a possibility I come here practicing with the guys and I feel, ‘Okay, I am not ready to compete.’
“I feel ready to compete. Then what can happen in the competition, I can't know. I don't know.”