In a candid interview with the Spanish publication MARCA, Rafael Nadal He said he hadn’t anticipated his retirement yet, after being in attendance for an emotional farewell to rival Roger Federer at this year’s Laver Cup. “I know the time is definitely closer than last year, as it was two years ago,” he said. “But in the end it’s something that when it happens, it will happen. I wish it was on a tennis court, that’s for sure.”
The Spaniard echoed the idea when asked about participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the tennis round will take place at Roland Garros, where he has won 14 times. “Well I don’t know. I really don’t feel like it. Also, another problem is that when you start thinking a lot about retirement, you’re already getting into that dynamic and I’m not at that point.”
Nadal said Federer’s retirement, after nearly two years of knee surgery, was a historic moment in the sports world, comparing him to Zinedine Zidane or the permanent retirements of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “These are people you’ve grown up with all your life, who share moments with you and watch on TV, so they’re almost like family,” he said.
On Federer, Nadal has given its weight to the debate over who is the best of his generation, a debate that has raged loud and controversial as the trio of Federer and Novak Djokovic approached the final. The Spaniard said personal biases dictate the discussion. “There will be who will be the best, which I don’t think is easy to determine because everyone has their own arguments to defend one player or another beyond the objective data,” he said. However, he stressed the fact that the trio had pushed themselves to the limit to get what they had.
Radio frequencies saved him from retirement
Nadal, who put together a historic 2022 that saw him win the Australian Open and French Open titles and reach the semifinals of Wimbledon, also spent much of the second half of the year recovering and dealing with injuries. Nadal revealed in the interview that after winning the French Open using injections to numb chronic foot pain, he knew he would have to retire until an adequate solution to the injury was found.
Nadal suffers from Müller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative foot condition that causes chronic heel pain. The Spaniard began a new radiofrequency treatment ahead of Wimbledon in June, which he says is yielding positive results.
“The truth is I did it so many times after Wimbledon because the injury can’t be fixed and when the nerve starts hurting you have to do it again,” she said of the treatment. “Now I’m happier, after winning or losing on the pitch, because I was very weak. I played tennis on many, many anti-inflammatories, but limped all day. I thought I should quit tennis because I had lost my vitality and was a sad person most days.
Nadal will now play the United Cup, a new mixed ATP/WTA event, in Australia from December 31st ahead of the Australian Open, which kicks off on January 17th.
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