Rafael Nadal was eliminated in the first round of Roland-Garros 2024, but did not say goodbye to Parisian clay.
After two difficult years marked by numerous injuries, we did not necessarily expect to see Rafael Nadal again on the Parisian clay to compete at a new Roland-Garros, he who holds the record for victories on the Porte d’Auteuil side with 14 titles in total.
But this year, the Mallorcan took the time to prepare to give himself another chance. After a first return in January in Brisbane, Rafael Nadal was stopped by a new injury before finally returning in April with the Barcelona tournament to prepare for Roland-Garros, THE tournament of his career.
Unfortunately, despite his protected ranking (ranking that a player can use in the event of a long injury), the Spaniard had a good chance of falling to a seed in the first round. This was the case with the world number 4, the German Alexander Zverev, winner of the Masters 1000 in Rome just before the French Open. Despite some flashes, Rafael Nadal was no match in this meeting against a player in full swing. The Spaniard was eliminated for the first time in his career in the first round of a Roland-Garros.
By refusing to have a tribute ceremony, Rafael Nadal cast doubt on his future participation next year. On the Philippe Chatrier court, the man with 14 victories at Roland spoke with great emotion. “This is the last time I find myself here in front of you. Well, I’m not 100% sure. If it’s the last time, I would have taken advantage of the moment“, did he declare.
But good news for fans, this is not the last time we see Rafael Nadal in Paris, on the land of Roland-Garros. Indeed, during his interview, the Spaniard indicated that he did not see himself preparing for a season on grass, but preferred to return to clay and participate in the Olympics.
“The dynamic is positive. I felt ready. Tomorrow I would have been ready if I had had a match to play. I need to prepare, to clear my head. My main goal is to play in the Olympics here and be ready to go. I don’t know what will happen in the coming months. In my mind, there are still the Games. I need to check how I’m going, my motivation, my physique and my tennis“, he added.
Despite this stated desire, the end of Rafael Nadal’s career is imminent and the Spaniard has never hidden it. “I wanted to give myself a chance, a real chance. I like what I do. I like to train. I love traveling with my wife and son. If I continue to love what I do, and I’m competitive enough to enjoy it, I want to continue for a long time. I need to see if my body holds up. We’ll see in 2 months with the Olympic Games and then we’ll see. Maybe I’d like to say it’s over.“