Rafael Nadal is inching closer to the end of his illustrious tennis career. The Spaniard didn't enjoy a good showing on the ATP Tour this year. On the wheels of a comeback from arthroscopic hip surgery that derailed his 2023 season, the 22-time Major winner failed to make a dent in the field, losing seven of his 19 competitive matches in 2024.
At 38, not many fans expected Nadal to be at the peak of his powers. However, it is the nature of the Spaniard's losses this year that has been particularly discouraging. The "King of Clay" has admittedly not been in good shape lately; he suffered from a hip complication during his last-eight exit at the Brisbane International in January, following which he sat out of tour-level action for nearly three months.
The 22-time Major winner then competed regularly from April to July but didn't make deep runs in singles at any big tournament. Hence, the prospect of him retiring from pro tennis soon seems increasingly plausible to the tennis universe.
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On that note, let's take a look at the four tournaments where we think Rafael Nadal can hang up his racquet:
#1 Davis Cup Finals 2024
Although Nadal has mostly hinted that he will try to prolong his career till 2025, he might not be beyond ending his tennis career this year with his final pro outing at the Davis Cup Finals in November. That would be fitting hypothetically, considering the Spaniard's contribution to five of Spain's six Davis Cup titles (2004, 2008-09, 2011, 2019).
The Spanish Armada qualified for the knockout stage in Malaga with a 3-0 record in their group thanks to Carlos Alcaraz's listless performance. The World No. 3 will next lead his country against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals in November.
Since the 38-year-old already teamed up with Alcaraz at this year's Paris Olympics, their prospective pairing at the Davis Cup will bode well for the six-time titlists.
#2 Barcelona Open 2025
Rafael Nadal will most likely skip the 2025 Australian Open in January and the hardcourt season in the succeeding two months, provided that he does play next year. He can make his tour-level comeback at the next Barcelona Open, where he has won a whopping 12 titles (2005-09, 2011-13, 2016-18 and 2021).
The 22-time Major winner's appearance at the ATP 500 tournament this year was disappointing, though, as he succumbed 5-7, 1-6 to Alex de Minaur in the second round. With his physical health dwindling, the Spaniard could call it quits early into the 2025 European claycourt season.
Perhaps, there wouldn't be many better events where he could sing his swan song than the Barcelona Open.
#3 Madrid Open 2025
Nadal might as well retire from pro tennis at another tournament where he will be surrounded by Spanish fans — the 2025 Madrid Masters. Not unlike the Barcelona Open, the Spaniard also monopolized the red clay of Madrid, triumphing in 2010, 2013-14, and 2017.
Nadal's best results in 2024 came at the Caja Magica as he impressively won his first three matches. He was eventually stopped by an in-form Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-4 in the fourth round, but the tournament marked by far his best campaign this year.
And while the King of Clay could also bid fans goodbye at either Monte Carlo or Rome — two Masters-level tournaments where he has been more successful — the home support in Madrid would be more comforting for him at such a moment in his career.
#4 French Open 2025 — a tournament Nadal has clinched 14 times
The tennis universe initially believed that the French Open, which has been Rafael Nadal's hallowed ground since 2005, would be the Spaniard's last-even on-court outing. After all, the man himself had previously hinted that he may not play past the 2024 season.
Moreover, in the weeks leading up to the claycourt Major, the 14-time Roland Garros champion went as far as to claim that he was 'ready to leave everything and die in Paris'. This statement attested to Nadal's commitment to playing at a highly competitive level.
However, on account of him being ranked well outside the men's top 100, he had to use his Protected Ranking to enter the tournament and was unfortunately pitted against fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev in the first round itself.
Although his eventual straight-sets loss to Zverev deflated the tennis universe's spirits, Nadal later revealed to l'Equipe that he had asked the organizers to scrap their initially planned tribute ceremony for him.
"But at the last minute, I said I didn’t want it (the tribute), that's the truth," he said. "It would have bothered me to announce that it was the last time I was playing the tournament... and nothing prevents them from waiting a year."
The 22-time Major winner has some unfinished business with the terre battue in Paris. Thus, in case the 38-year-old does play on the ATP Tour in 2025, the French Open is likely to be the place where he gives it his all.
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