- Rafael Nadal has left the door open to the possibility of extending his tennis career beyond 2024
- The 22-time Grand Slam champion is open to reevaluating his decision
- The Spaniard stated that he could change his mind
Rafael Nadal has left the door open to the possibility of extending his tennis career beyond 2024 amid his earlier stand of retiring after next year’s French Open.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is open to reevaluating his decision if he can continue to compete at a level that “thrills” him.
He told Spanish newspaper AS Diario that although 2024 may mark the end of his tennis career, he is not 100% certain.
The Spaniard stated that he could change his mind depending on his level of fitness before the next season.
Rafael Nadal. Photo/Rafael Nadal King of Tennis
“I said that possibly 2024 will be my last year,” Nadal told. “I stand by that, but I can’t confirm it 100 per cent. I think there’s a good chance that it will be, because I know how my body is but how I’ll be in four months, I don’t know,” he said.
He notes that if his physical form changes before November 2023, he could play longer than the 2024 season.
However, if he doesn’t recover, he will call in time in tennis and move on. Nadal is prepping for his comeback in his tennis career and he is happy that he is recovering well from an injury he underwent an operation for early this year.
Nadal is currently training at his Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca. He underwent a medical procedure at a clinic in Barcelona in June and openly admitted that he wasn’t certain if he would ever return to the sport.
However, his team has provided an update, stating that the arthroscopic procedure on his left psoas tendon was successful. It involved the cleaning and reinforcement of damaged areas.
Doctors also addressed an older labrum injury that posed a big challenge to his bid to defend his Australian Open title in January.
Initially, Nadal had anticipated a recovery period of only six to eight weeks, but doctors recommended surgery after failed multiple rehabilitation attempts.
He told Movistar that some of his injuries keeping him away from the tennis court are a result of being ignorant.
Novak Djokovic with Rafael Nadal. Photo/Tennis .com
The Spaniard admits that his tennis rival Novak Djokovic is doing much better at 36 because he took good care of his body when he was younger.
Nadal, 37, has missed four and a half years of Grand Slam tournaments due to injuries, unlike Djokovic who is still grinding like he is still in his 20s.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the father of one could be the new president of Real Madrid football club after his retirement from tennis in 2024.
Nadal is an ardent Real Madrid fan and his family has a deep history with the football club. The club is currently under the stewardship of Florentino Perez, who insiders say is on his way out club after supervising the renovation of their Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
The 37-year-old Spaniard said that he wouldn’t mind leading the club in future once an opportunity presents itself.
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