Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal, 37, reaffirmed Monday that 2024 would “maybe” be the year he retires, after eight months of absence and two operations for his hip injury.
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“ I said it was possible that 2024 could be my last year, I stand by it, but I can’t confirm it 100% because I don’t know “, Rafael Nadal said in an interview with the Movistar+ channel, saying he was “looking forward to playing again and being competitive again.”
“ But the idea is not to come back to win Roland Garros or the Australian Open. Don’t let people be surprised, all this is far away, I am aware of the difficulties I encounter “, continued the Spaniard, 22 Grand Slam titles under his belt, referring to his “age” and his ” physical problems “.
On May 18, Nadal withdrew from Roland Garros, a tournament he won fourteen times, due to a left hip injury contracted at the Australian Open in January. On this occasion, he had already announced that “next year” would be “ probably the last ” of her career.
No frustrations…
On Monday, he also revealed that he had undergone surgery on his psoas and hip a few months ago. “ Would I like to be the tennis player with the most Grand Slams? Without a doubt. (…) But that doesn’t frustrate me “, he also affirmed, returning to the battle with Novak Djokovic, to become the player with the greatest number of Grand Slams won – “Djoko” has 24 – and affirming that he does not ” an obsession “.
“ I think Novak experiences this in a more intense way than I do “, he continued, estimating that the “frustration” of not achieving it would have been greater for the Serb.
Finally mentioning Carlos Alcaraz, presented by many as his heir, Nadal judged that he had “ the potential for everything “. But ” If I had to tell him anything it would be to keep improving. “, he concluded.
(With AFP)