Rafa Nadal stops and heralds end of career

Rafael Nadal speaks to the press

The highly anticipated press conference organized by Rafael Nadal did not disappoint expectations: fortunately averted the champion’s immediate farewell to tennis. “I have to stop, maybe a month, maybe four. I might come back before the end of the year for Davis,” he said. “I can’t predict the future, I will follow my emotions and what I believe in. It’s the right thing for my body and my mind. I am not ready to compete and play in Paris. I don’t want to be in a situation where I don’t want to be. My ambition is to stop and enjoy myself again in 2024, when it will probably be my last year as a professional.”

“I can’t have fun during training, after the pandemic I held on but it wasn’t easy,” added the racquetball star. “In the last few months I’ve been working hard to come back, but I couldn’t do it. The injury did not heal as we would have liked, we worked a lot to try to get back on the court. But it is impossible for me to play at Roland Garros. I want to take my time to recover and get back to the highest possible level. I will not give a return date, when I am mentally and physically ready I will come back. One goal could be to return to play Davis Cup and get a good start in 2024, with the assurance that I can be competitive. Maybe 2024 will be my last year on the court.”