Spain’s tennis star
Nadal leaves career end open after Olympics
Rafael Nadal is thinking about his future. Photo
© Jean-François Badias/AP/dpa
Rafael Nadal talks about his future in an interview – and can imagine many things. He also talks about Alexander Zverev.
Spain’s tennis star Rafael Nadal may now want to continue his career beyond this year.
“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,” said the 38-year-old 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 physique 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 will feel after 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.
Praise for Zverev
This year’s Olympic tennis competitions begin on July 27. In preparation for the Olympics, 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 Bastad, Sweden (July 15 to 21).
At his favorite tournament, the recently concluded French Open, the 14-time Paris champion was defeated in the first round by eventual finalist Alexander Zverev. “Zverev is a great player,” praised Nadal. To advance, he would have needed “a slightly weaker Zverev than he was.”