"Respect what Rafael Nadal wants" - French Open director Amelie Mauresmo cancels farewell for Spaniard amid doubts over retirement plans

French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo revealed that they had arranged a farewell for Rafael Nadal this year. However, they had to cancel it because the Spaniard informed her that it might not be his last appearance at Roland Garros.

Coming off a second-round exit in the Italian Open, Nadal is all set to begin his campaign in Paris this year against fourth seed Alexander Zverev on May 27. The duo previously met in the semifinal of the 2022 edition of the Slam, where the German had to retire from the match owing to an ankle injury.

During a pre-tournament press conference, the 22-time Major champion was questioned about the potential of this year marking his final appearance in the tournament he has triumphed in 14 times. While admitting it was a consideration, he remained uncertain about the future.

"It’s a big, big chance that going to be my last Roland Garros, but if I have to tell you it’s 100 per cent my last Roland Garros, sorry, but I will not, because I cannot predict what’s going on," Nadal said.

However, it appears Rafael Nadal has had a change of heart, as he informed Amelie Mauresmo that this year might not witness his last dance at the Claycour Major, stirring uncertainty about his retirement plans.

"As you can imagine, we had something planned for him, but he said [on Saturday] – he told us actually before yesterday – that he doesn’t know if it’s gonna be his last Roland Garros or not," Mauresmo said on Sunday (via iNews).

The former World No. 1 added:

"That’s his wish, even though we’re ready to push the button and something happens, we are obviously going to respect what he wants and make sure we are ready whenever he feels he wants to do it: later this year, next year, anytime he wants."

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"Rafael Nadal wants to leave the door open for him maybe to come back next year" - Amelie Mauresmo

Rafael Nadal

Amelie Mauresmo stated that tournament officials will not pressure Rafael Nadal to make any decisions and suggested that the Spaniard might be planning to come back to the French Open next year.

"He wants to leave the door open for him maybe to come back next year as a player. So we’re not going to push him to do anything," Mauresmo said via the aforementioned source.

The Frenchwoman added:

"It’s his decision when he wants to have a proper ceremony or proper goodbye and proper farewell. So we’re not going to do it this year."

Nadal's path to his quest for a 15th Roland Garros title is far from easy. If the Mallorcan manages to overcome Zverev, he could face opponents such as David Goffin, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, arch-rival Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner in the upcoming rounds.