Legendary tennis player Rafael Nadal, who is nearing the end of his remarkable career, will not have a farewell ceremony at the French Open, regardless of his performance at the year’s second major event, as stated by the tournament organizers.
Tournament director Amélie Mauresmo disclosed that Rafael Nadal informed officials he did not want to rule out the possibility of returning to Paris, where he has won 14 titles. A farewell ceremony was planned but canceled after Nadal hinted at a potential comeback.
“As you can imagine, we had something planned for him. But because he doesn’t know if it’s going to be his last Roland Garros or not, he wants to leave the door open, maybe to come back next year as a player. So we are not going to push him to do anything,” Mauresmo explained.
Final appearance at Roland Garros?
After informing officials, Rafael Nadal addressed the rumors about his final French Open appearance during a pre-match conference. The Spaniard stated that while it is highly possible this could be his last tournament, he is not completely certain.
“Honestly, no? I am improving in different ways. I have fewer limitations than three, or four weeks ago, without a doubt. And in terms of whether this is going to be my last Roland Garros, it’s a long answer, but I think I need to address that to avoid future questions from the beginning, so I’m going to do it,” said the 22-time Major champion.
Nadal has been battling injuries for the past two years, which has limited his playing time. Since January last year, he has only played 15 matches due to a hip injury and a muscle tear keeping him in rehab.
He returned to action on his favored surface, clay, participating in the Barcelona and Madrid Masters before competing in Rome. However, he was defeated in the second round in Barcelona by Alex de Minaur. The Spaniard avenged this loss against the Australian in Madrid before being knocked out by Jiri Lehecka in the last 16.
He was then defeated comfortably by Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of the Rome Open.
Nadal, who will turn 38 on June 3 and has previously indicated this may be his final season, began his first-round match against Alexander Zverev on a low note by losing a game on his first serve of the tournament.