"Roger Federer wanted to say 'goodbye', it happened in three days… we're getting closer to that being reality for Rafael Nadal" – Andy Roddick

Andy Roddick recently reckoned that Rafael Nadal might bid goodbye to competitive tennis in the same way his arch-rival Roger Federer did.

Federer received a farewell at the Laver Cup held inside London's O2 Arena on September 23, 2022. The Swiss legend hadn't played any tennis for fourteen months before his retirement due to knee complications.

Nearly two years later, Nadal finds himself in a similar situation as his body restricts him from competing on the court. His last appearance was in the quarterfinals of the Brisbane International in the first week of 2024. The Spaniard pulled out of three subsequent tournaments including the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, and Monte-Carlo Masters because of fitness issues.

Former player Andy Roddick, however, has high hopes of seeing the Spaniard at the French Open before calling it a day. He expressed the same in a recent episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, saying [at 16:18]:

"I have this hope in the back of my mind that he’s gonna get healthy and he doesn’t need to be healthy for 52 weeks, he needs to be healthy for two months. Like, just burn it, go all of it, take all of the painkillers that you need to take, and let’s do one more."

"I always kind of thought we were going to have some version of that, maybe not winning but imagine him winning third round at Roland Garros, a tough four-setter, the place falls apart like… I want that for him."

Roddick likened Nadal's situation to that of Federer, whom he believes must have wished to end his career at Wimbledon or the US Open in 2022.

"Roger retired at Laver Cup, he probably wouldn’t say this out loud, but Roger wanted to retire at Wimbledon or US Open. He wanted to play those. He wanted to do that, he wanted to say ‘goodbye’, it happened in three days as opposed to three months. It feels like we're getting closer to that being reality for Rafa," the American added.

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"When Rafael Nadal was in Vegas, corners were tough; The serving was tough" - Andy Roddick

Rafael Nadal at the Netflix Slam, a Live Netflix Sports Event

Rafael Nadal played an exhibition event called the Netflix Slam on March 3 in Las Vegas a few days before the Indian Wells Masters this year. The Spaniard lost to his compatriot Carlos Alcaraz in the exhibition match.

During the same episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Andy Roddick highlighted the weaknesses that he observed in Nadal's Vegas performance.

"When he [Rafael Nadal] was in Vegas, corners were tough. The biggest thing that I noticed, and it's a tougher thing to observe with Rafa because it’s never been the thing that he hung his hat on, the serving was tough. The serving was bad! Action, pace, the second serve wasn’t kicking in a way. The rumor is the back is the problem," Roddick said [at 17:08].

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is rumored to play in the upcoming Barcelona Open, scheduled for an April 15th start. However, there has been no confirmation on that yet.