"When I have to make a decision, I will make it without problems" - Rafael Nadal discusses potential retirement plans

Rafael Nadal recently talked about his potential retirement plans. He stated that he cannot definitively confirm whether this season will be his last on the tour .

After missing the 2023 season due to injuries, Rafael Nadal made a comeback to the court this year at the 2024 Brisbane International. He reached the quarterfinals before falling to Jordan Thompson. Unfortunately, he was then forced to withdraw from several subsequent tournaments due to a micro tear in a muscle he suffered in Brisbane.

The Spaniard next competed at the Barcelona Open, where he lost to Alex de Minaur in the second round. He then participated in the Madrid Open, reaching the fourth round before being defeated by Jiri Lehecka.

The former World No.1's last two tournaments were the Italian Open, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, and the recently concluded French Open, where he was defeated by eventual runner-up Alexander Zverev in the first round

Rafael Nadal, who had previously hinted at potentially retiring after this season, recently shared in an interview with L'Equipe that he is reconsidering his retirement plans. The 22-time Grand Slam champion expressed that he was "rediscovering the pleasure of playing tennis" and was truly enjoying himself on the court again

"My sensations in recent weeks have made me want to explore a little more, to want to see what can happen. I am rediscovering the pleasure of playing tennis, of enjoying myself. I want to give myself the opportunity to see if my physique remains at this level or if this is a passing moment and everything goes wrong again," he said as quoted by Punto de Break (translated from Spanish).

The Spaniard revealed that he will assess his game and how he feels about himself after the 2024 Paris Olympics before making any decisions about retirement . He stated that when the time comes to retire, it will be a peaceful decision, made with the satisfaction of always given his best.

Rafael Nadal assured that he will approach his retirement decision without any "problems."

"I want to see how I feel after the Olympic Games, then we will see what happens, what decisions I make. I will always do it with great serenity, with the satisfaction of having always given my best. When I have to make a decision, I will make it without problems. I always said that this would be my last year, but I can't be sure because at the end of the day you never know what can happen in the future," he added.

Rafael Nadal: "The last two years have been difficult, I have been through a lot complicated moments"

Rafael Nadal

In the aforementioned interview, Rafael Nadal opened up about the challenges he has faced over the past two years, like undergoing hip surgery to dealing with abdominal issues and also the muscle injury he sustained in Brisbane earlier this year.

"The last two years have been difficult, I have been through a lot complicated moments, especially with my hip operation, in addition to my abdominal problems and not forgetting the injury in Australia, have saddened me," he said.

The Spaniard admitted that there was a period where he lacked motivation to train and compete at his usual level. However, he has since experienced a shift in mindset and is now eager to return to his old training routines. He revealed that before beginning his campaign at the French Open this year, physically he felt his best.

"I haven't felt ready to train and play as I wanted to in a long time, but there have been. a positive evolution lately. I arrived at Roland Garros, perhaps, in my best moment of the last two years," he added.

Rafael Nadal will miss the entire grass-court swing and is next scheduled to compete at the 2024 Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden. The ATP 250 event will be played on clay.