Rafael Nadal: “I have never made hasty decisions and that will not be the case this time either.” © APA/afp / THOMAS COEX

Nadal leaves career end open after Olympics

Spain's tennis star Rafael Nadal may now want to continue his career beyond this year.

June 15, 2024

From: apa/dpa/sn

"I've always said that I believe this will be my last year, but I can't say for sure because ultimately you don't know what will happen in the future," the 38-year-old said in an interview with L'Équipe. "I've never made hasty decisions and that won't be the case this time either."

He is currently feeling good and is enjoying playing again. "I want to give myself a chance to see if my physical condition stays at this level or if this is just a passing moment and things will go downhill again," explained the 22-time Grand Slam winner. "I'm taking my time to see how I feel after the Olympics."

Double duty at the Olympics

In Paris, Nadal will compete in singles and doubles; his partner is French Open winner Carlos Alcaraz (21). However, he is only focusing his training on the singles tournament, said Nadal. "I've always done it like this: if I played well in singles, I also played well in doubles." Nadal won Olympic gold in both disciplines, in 2008 in singles in Beijing and in 2016 in doubles in Rio with Marc Lopez.
The Olympic tennis competitions begin on July 27. In preparation, Nadal will also skip the grass court classic in Wimbledon (July 1 to 14). Instead, he wants to practice for the Olympics at the clay court tournament in Båstad, Sweden (July 15 to 21).