MADRID: Rafael Nadal said on Wednesday he will only play at the upcoming French Open if he feels “capable enough to compete well.”
The 14-time Roland Garros champion conceded that if the action in Paris were to kick off today, he would not be able to participate but vowed to keep fighting for the chance to play at his most successful tournament one last time.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the next three weeks. I will keep fighting and doing the things I believe I have to do so I can try to play in Paris, and if I can play, I play, if I can’t, I can’t,” the former world number one told reporters at the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
“I will not play in Paris if I am the way I am now. If Paris were today, I wouldn’t take to the court. That’s the reality. I will only play in Paris if I feel capable enough to compete well.”
Nadal returned to tennis in Brisbane in January after spending almost an entire year on the sidelines nursing a psoas injury. But his comeback was short-lived as he sustained a muscle problem in Australia and has competed in just five matches so far this season.
The Spaniard kicked off his clay campaign in Barcelona last week, where he lost in the second round and is set to face 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch in his Madrid opener on Thursday.
“I don’t think I’m ready to play at my 100 percent but I’m prepared to go out and play tomorrow. It’s important for me to play one last time here in Madrid, for me it means a lot,” said the 37-year-old Nadal.
As he attempts to resume his ‘Last Dance’ in Madrid and say goodbye to one of his favorite tournaments on court, rather than on the sidelines, the 22-time major champion admits his farewell tour hasn’t been as enjoyable as he would have hoped.
“A few weeks ago, I didn’t know if I will be able to play again on the professional tour, so today I am playing,” he added.
“It’s not perfect, of course not perfect, but at least I am playing and I can enjoy again, especially in the few tournaments that are so emotional for me. I’m able to enjoy the fact that I can say probably good-bye on court.”
Nadal says he’s hitting the ball well when he is able to be on court but “it’s about more body limitations. I went through a lot of things last year and a half, two years.”
“So body feelings are not enough good to feel myself playing with freedom enough in terms of body issues. That’s not allowing me to compete the way that I would like to compete.”
Nadal will only play French Open if he can ‘compete well’
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Nadal will only play French Open if he can ‘compete well’
- The 14-time Roland Garros champion conceded that if the action in Paris were to kick off today, he would not be able to participate
- “I will keep fighting and doing the things I believe I have to do so I can try to play in Paris,” Nadal said
‘He’s the best sportsman in Spanish history’ – Feliciano Lopez pays tribute to Rafael Nadal ahead of Davis Cup farewell
- Tournament director and longtime friend and teammate is bracing himself for an emotional week in Malaga
MALAGA: “I think no one would have ever imagined a script like this,” Feliciano Lopez tells Arab News at the Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, where Rafael Nadal is set to play the last tournament of his professional career alongside his Spanish teammates in the Davis Cup Finals.
Lopez, a longtime friend and teammate of Nadal, is the tournament director of the Davis Cup Finals and finds it poetic that the Spanish legend has chosen this team competition to be the last stop of his storied career.
“2004 Rafa wins the Davis Cup in Seville, I think that was probably the first big turning point of his career, in my opinion,” reflects Lopez.
“And then 20 years later, his career is coming to an end, playing the same competition, playing in Spain, in his country, alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who I think is a true blessing, because in a country like Spain, it’s very difficult to see that kind of athlete.
“Rafa is going to be playing his final professional tournament and we have Carlos Alcaraz having already four Grand Slams, it’s a true blessing.”
Spain’s greatest sports icon ending his professional tennis career by sharing a team with his heir apparent is indeed as good as it gets for the home fans that will fill up the 11,000-capacity arena when Nadal and Co. take on the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (5pm local time, 7pm KSA time).
“Also the fact that David (Ferrer, the former world No. 3) is the captain, it’s another nice coincidence. They are friends, they were teammates, they were rivals as well,” added Lopez, referring to Spain’s Davis Cup captain.
“Me here as a tournament director, I don’t know who would have been able to write this beautiful script. But I think it’s going to be very emotional, a lot of things coming to our minds, but of course Rafa is going to be the one playing the main role I think this week.”
Lopez, who officially retired from professional tennis last year and serves as tournament director at the Davis Cup Finals and the Madrid Open, first met a 15-year-old Nadal in Seville – just 200km north-west of Malaga – where they shared a practice session together.
“I was amazed by the intensity he was putting already at 15 years old,” he recalls.
Lopez’s funniest memory of his countryman was when Nadal made his Davis Cup debut in an away tie against the Czech Republic in 2004.
Nadal was still 17 at the time and lost in straight sets in his first singles and doubles matches that weekend. But the tie was still in play thanks to Tommy Robredo, who won the other singles clash, allowing the Spaniards to enter the last day of action trailing the Czechs 1-2, with two singles showdowns to come.
Just as Lopez was about to take to the court for a do-or-die match against Tomas Berdych, a teenage Nadal stopped him in his tracks.
“I was literally almost putting my feet on the court and I saw Rafa coming towards me, running. I was a bit concerned, ‘What’s going on, what’s wrong Rafa?’” Lopez recounted.
“He said, ‘No, no Feli, I just want to wish you good luck, and please, you have to win this match and I will take care of the rest’.
“I will never forget, he was 17 years old, he made his debut, lost the two matches he played and he was convinced and he was so determined that he was going to win the deciding match; and that tells you everything about the way he thinks and the way he is. I will never forget that.”
Nadal, of course, clinched the tie for Spain by winning the fifth match in straight sets over Radek Stepanek, who was wanked 49 in the world at the time. A few months later, he shocked world No. 2 Andy Roddick of the United States to help Spain secure the Davis Cup title at home in Seville.
Spain is not short on sporting legends, but Lopez does not hesitate to dub Nadal the greatest of them all.
“He's the best sportsman of our history of course, with all respect to the others, because we have plenty of them, and very good ones,” said the 43-year-old.
“He’s by far our best athlete and his legacy is going to be also as a human being. Because his titles, of course, are not going to be forgotten, that’s for sure. But it’s very rare to see someone that good, tennis-wise, but also his legacy as a human being is going to be maybe bigger and better than his legacy as a tennis player.
“This is for me something unbelievable.”
In a career that spanned over two decades, Nadal won 92 titles, including 22 Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic is the only man in history to have amassed more major trophies.
Asked what he personally believes makes Nadal special, Lopez said: “I think his passion – he’s someone very passionate, he does everything with a lot of passion in his life.
“As a tennis player, I will say his intensity, from the first point until the last point, and this is something very rare to see. Tennis matches can be very long and you see up and downs all the time with almost every player, but with Rafa it’s a different story. He’s able to play with a lot of intensity and his self-belief also is something I think out of this world. That’s really something also remarkable.”
Lopez added: “But also tennis-wise, he’s a very complete player. He’s so powerful, the speed of his ball is completely different than any of the players. There was always a lot of talk regarding his fitness condition, his mentality and his intensity, all these things, but I think tennis-wise he’s top three in the history of the sport, otherwise I don’t think he would have been able to achieve everything that he achieved.”
Tickets for Tuesday evening’s quarterfinal between Spain and the Netherlands were sold out the minute Nadal announced he would be retiring after the Davis Cup and even participating players and captains have joked that they’re unable to score a seat in the arena for the Mallorcan’s farewell event.
“We can't get tickets. I think the tickets are going for $100,000. If you want to pay for me, I'll go,” laughed USA team captain and doubles legend Bob Bryan.
“Of course since Rafa decided that this is going to be his last professional tournament, the expectations increased all over the world and everyone wants to be present here today and there’s no room for everyone. So we’re getting ready for a big week,” said Lopez.
Roger Federer tells friend and rival Rafael Nadal that he made him enjoy tennis more
- Federer began his message with the word “Vamos” and said: “As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional”
- “Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you”
MALAGA, Spain: Roger Federer says Rafael Nadal made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years.
Writing on social media Tuesday, hours before the start of the Davis Cup Final 8, Nadal’s last event before heading into retirement, Federer began his message with the word “Vamos” and said: “As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.”
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me — a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”
Federer, now 43, was established at No. 1 in the rankings when Nadal, now 38, came along. Federer started his career with a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals before his first loss at that stage arrived against Nadal in the 2006 French Open final, the first of their three consecutive title matches in Paris — each with the same result.
Nadal also defeated Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, ending the Swiss star’s bid for a sixth championship in a row at the All England Club.
In all, Nadal led their head-to-head series 26-14, including 10-4 at Grand Slam tournaments and 6-3 in Slam finals.
Still, Federer told Nadal in his post, referring to him by the nickname Rafa: “You made me enjoy the game even more.”
They helped form the Big Three of men’s tennis along with Novak Djokovic, who is still active at age 37 and has won a men’s-record 24 major trophies. Nadal is next on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20.
“What an incredible run you’ve had,” Federer posted. “Including 14 French Opens — historic! You made Spain proud ... you made the whole tennis world proud.”
When Federer left the sport by playing a doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, his partner was Nadal. The two sat side-by-side afterward, crying.
“It meant everything to me that you were there by my side — not as my rival but as my doubles partner,” Federer wrote Tuesday. “Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”
Nadal’s Spanish team was scheduled to meet the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarterfinals Tuesday. Neither Nadal nor Spain’s captain, David Ferrer, would say Monday whether Nadal will play singles or doubles, both — or neither.
“Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done,” Federer wrote. “I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.”
Rafael Nadal, Spain’s Davis Cup captain won’t say whether he’ll play before retirement
- Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals
- Nadal announced last month that he would walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup
FUENGIROLA, Spain: Neither Rafael Nadal nor Spanish captain David Ferrer would say Monday whether the 22-time Grand Slam champion will play singles or doubles – or even at all – at the Davis Cup Final 8, his last event before retirement.
Spain is scheduled to face the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena. The winner will play in the semifinals on Friday. The championship will be decided on Sunday.
Asked at a news conference how he has been feeling in practice in recent days and whether he is ready to play, Nadal said: “That’s a question for the captain.” That response drew a smile and laugh from Ferrer, sitting to Nadal’s left.
Moments later at a hotel in Fuengirola, about 12 miles south of the arena in Malaga, the question of Nadal’s participation was put to Ferrer.
“I don’t know yet,” Ferrer said. “At the moment, I have not decided the players that are going to play tomorrow.”
The 38-year-old Nadal announced last month that he would walk away from tennis after the Davis Cup at home in Spain. He has been dealing with a series of injuries the past two seasons and has been limited to fewer than 25 official matches in that span.
“I’m not here to retire. I’m here to help the team win. It’s my last week in a team competition and the most important thing is to help the team. The emotions will come later,” said Nadal, wearing the squad’s red polo shirt with a tiny red-and-yellow Spanish flag on the left sleeve.
“I’m enjoying the week. I’m not putting too much attention to the retirement,” Nadal said. “It will be a big change in my life after this week.”
Nadal said it doesn’t “make sense to keep going knowing that I don’t have the real chance to be competitive the way that I like to be competitive because my body” won’t allow it.
He hasn’t played an official match since the Paris Olympics in early August. He lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
“I’ve tried to prepare as hard as possible for the last month and a half. I’m trying to give my best for this event,” Nadal said. “When you don’t compete so often, it’s difficult to maintain the level consistently. But the improvement is there every day. I believe that.”
Spain’s Davis Cup team also includes Alcaraz, Marcel Granollers, Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez.
‘Gracias, Rafa’: Rafael Nadal will head into retirement after Spain hosts the Davis Cup
- When Nadal explained last month that the Davis Cup would be it for him, he spoke in happy terms about his more than two decades in the sport
- He becomes the second member of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis to retire
MALAGA, Spain: Rafael Nadal’s impending retirement will loom over the Davis Cup Final 8 from the moment it begins Tuesday in southern Spain.
If that weren’t already obvious, just glance at the banner measuring 28,000 square feet (2,600 square meters) — about half the size of a football field — that wraps around the soccer stadium across the street from the arena hosting the tennis. The blue sign, visible from the highway leaving Malaga’s airport, is marked with large white letters that read, “GRACIAS, RAFA.” Between those two words is an image of Nadal toting a tennis racket in his left hand while wearing one of his trademark sleeveless shirts and his just-as-ever-present headband.
He is shown with his back to the world, walking away, symbolizing the 38-year-old Spaniard’s goodbye to the sport after a remarkable career.
“It’s going to be very exciting for everyone,” said tournament director Feliciano Lopez, a former player who faced Nadal 14 times on tour as an opponent in singles and also was his Davis Cup teammate. “Very emotional, at the same time.”
That sentiment likely applies to Nadal’s fans, other players, his family — his wife and their son have attended practice — and, quite understandably, the 22-time Grand Slam champion himself as Tuesday approaches. That’s when Spain face the Netherlands on an indoor hard court at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena.
“It’s amazing that it might be the last match that Nadal plays,” Dutch captain Paul Haarhuis said Sunday, “and we hope to give him a nice ‘Adios.’”
Nadal had hip surgery in June 2023 and missed nearly all of that season. He dealt with a new hip muscle problem this year and an abdominal injury, part of a long series of issues that contributed to his body feeling like what he described as “a jungle” in May after losing in the first round of the French Open, the clay-court Slam he’s won a record 14 times.
That was his only Grand Slam appearance all year; Nadal played a total of just 23 official singles matches over the past two seasons combined. That includes going 12-7 in 2024. His last real matches came at the Olympics in early August, when he lost in the second round of singles to Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz.
Spain’s captain, David Ferrer, the 2013 French Open runner-up to Nadal, has not yet told the world how he will employ the star in Malaga.
Could be for singles, although Nadal said he’ll step aside if he doesn’t think he can win. Could be in doubles with his 21-year-old heir apparent, Alcaraz, in a renewal of their “Nadalcaraz” partnership. Could be both. If Spain gets past the Netherlands, it would face Germany or Canada in the semifinals on Friday.
“I really want him to retire with a title,” Alcaraz said.
Thursday’s quarterfinals feature the US against Australia, and defending champion Italy — whose roster features No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner — against Argentina. The winners of those matchups will meet in the semifinals on Saturday; the championship will be decided Sunday.
When Nadal explained last month that the Davis Cup would be it for him, he spoke in happy terms about his more than two decades in the sport.
“Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true,” he said.
He becomes the second member of the so-called Big Three of men’s tennis to retire.
Roger Federer announced his departure in 2022 — teaming with Nadal in doubles at the Laver Cup, then crying alongside his longtime rival and, eventually, friend — while Djokovic is still near the top of the game.
Djokovic’s Serbia did not qualify for the Davis Cup quarterfinals, but he wrote on social media that he would be on hand in Malaga. Who knows who else might show up in the sellout crowd of 9,200 on Tuesday, not just from the world of tennis, and not just athletes from other sports, but other celebrities, as well?
“I don’t know if we’re going to have seats for everyone,” Lopez said. “Everyone wants to be there for his farewell.”
There will be plenty of folks tuning in on TV from afar, including other tennis players, of course.
“I’m going to watch it. I’m going to enjoy it,” said 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who lost to Nadal in two Grand Slam finals. “It’s a big moment for the sport, because he did so much for the sport.”
Sinner beats Fritz to win ATP Finals and add another big title with his doping case still pending
- Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking
TURIN, Italy: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner added another big title to his tremendous year, beating US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for the ATP Finals trophy before his home fans — and before a final verdict is reached in his doping case.
Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.
“It’s the first title in Italy and it means so much to me,” said Sinner, who also won the Next Gen ATP Finals — an event for the top under-20 players — in Milan in 2019. “It’s something very, very, very special.”
Sinner, however, has off-court issues after he tested positive in two separate drug tests in March. A decision to clear him of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport early next year.
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
Sinner maintained his recent mastery over Fritz, having also beaten the American in the US Open final in September and in the group stage this week at the elite event for the year’s top eight players.
By sweeping all five of his matches en route to the trophy, Sinner earned $4.8 million — the largest winner’s prize on the men’s tour.
Sinner became the first Italian to win the finals and he went one step further than last year, when he lost the championship match to Novak Djokovic, who withdrew this time. And he did so without dropping a set – which was last accomplished by Ivan Lendl in 1986.
“I just tried to understand whatever works best for each opponent,” Sinner said. “It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn’t play better.”
The crowd inside Inalpi Arena included multiple clusters of fans wearing orange — a tribute to Sinner’s red- and orange-colored hair, and how he once ate carrots during a match. There were orange carrot costumes, orange wigs, orange hats, jackets and plenty of other orange items, too.
Some fans even had carrots in their mouths.
The crowd broke into its customary chant of “Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner” when Sinner produced a drop-shot winner to break for a 4-3 lead in the first set.
Sinner faced a break point while serving for the first set but saved it with a big serve out wide that Fritz couldn’t return. Then he served an ace — his 10th of the set — to close it out.
Another break by Sinner early in the second and the match was virtually over.
Sinner extended his winning streak to 11 matches. He’s won 26 of his last 27 matches and ends the ATP season with eight titles and an overall record of 70-6.
Fritz was attempting to become the event’s first American champion since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the title match 25 years ago.
Still, Fritz will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings on Monday after beating No. 2 Alexander Zverev in a third-set tiebreaker in the semifinals on Saturday. That will make him the highest-ranked American man since Andy Roddick was No. 4 in August 2007.
It’s the latest in a series of achievements for Fritz, whose run in New York made him the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
At the start of the week, Fritz told The Associated Press that his “career has always been a very steady progression and just improving a little bit each year.”
Both Sinner and Fritz will conclude their seasons representing defending champion Italy and the United States, respectively, in the Davis Cup finals, which start Tuesday in Malaga, Spain.
The German duo of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz beat Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to win the doubles title.
