"I'm like, 'Why are you on the court still? Go home, take the boat'" - Garbine Muguruza on Rafael Nadal's tennis future

Garbine Muguruza recently gave her two cents on Rafael Nadal's retirement. The Spaniard set the tennis world afire with speculation on Thursday (September 12) by withdrawing from the 2024 Laver Cup scheduled to begin in Berlin next week.

Nadal has not enjoyed a great season on the ATP Tour this year. After being out of action for virtually all of 2023 due to a hip injury, the 22-time Major winner made his comeback at the Brisbane International in January. Following a quarterfinal exit, he didn't play again for three months before returning to the Barcelona Open.

Since then, the former World No. 1 has won nine of his 14 matches and reached the final of the Bastad Open in July. The 38-year-old hasn't played a competitive match in nearly two months, having sat out of Wimbledon and the US Open. He has now withdrawn from the Laver Cup, citing that his playing level is not on par with the rest of Team Europe.

"I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week," Rafael Nadal said in his statement. "This is a team competition and to really support Team Europe, I need to do what’s best for them and at this moment there are other players who can help the team deliver the win."

With this news, the prospect of the former World No. 1 prolonging his career past 2024 appears bleak. In that context, American magazine Tennis recently spoke to his compatriot Garbine Muguruza on the above topic. The two-time Major winner insisted that the Spaniard was 'ready' for retirement before imploring him to focus on his family and hobbies.

"He’s so ready," Garbine Muguruza told Tennis. "His body, his mind, just everything... It’s time to also enjoy his kid! I see him smiling all the time with his baby. I’m like, ‘Why are you on the court still? Go home, take the boat, go in Mallorca.’ I think he gave everything he had.”

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"It’s hard to know Rafael Nadal... he’s very shy" - Garbine Muguruza

Garbine Muguruza and Rafael Nadal at a media event in 2018

The former player-turned-WTA Finals tournament director also disclosed that she had shared a conversation with Rafael Nadal at this year's Laureus World Sports Awards.

"It’s hard to know him. He’s very shy," she added. "We talked a little bit at the Laureus Awards in Madrid earlier this year. He said, 'This is my last year,' but he didn’t share anything else. I don’t want to ask him personal questions."

Muguruza, meanwhile, retired from pro tennis in April 2024 after a 12-year-long stint at the top of the WTA Tour. The 30-year-old won the 2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon and also spent four weeks as the World No. 1 in late 2017.