Rumours swirl over Rafael Nadal’s retirement date amid French Open concern

Rafael Nadal’s decision to pull out of next week’s Barcelona Open has sparked a swirl of rumours that the Spanish legend may be edging towards his final few months on the ATP Tour.

With his 37th birthday approaching later this year, Nadal is at the back end of a glorious career that has secured his status as one of the game’s all-time greats.

Yet his hopes of finishing his career as the player with the most Grand Slam titles could be derailed by persistent injury problems that have dogged him in recent months.

Nadal has yet to make an appearance on the regular ATP Tour in 2023, with his two matches at the Australian Open and two matches at the United Cup the only tennis he has managed to play so far this year.

In fact, he has only played eight matches since last year’s US Open, with the Spaniard admitting his chronic foot problem will not be solved by time away from the court.

He is currently recovering from a hip problem and admits it has taken longer than expected for him to get back to top fitness.

“I am taking it week by week, I’m having tests to see the progress I am making from the injury. I haven’t talked much since what happened in Australia, but in Australia I had a big, big breakdown,” he is quoted as saying by Puntodebreak.com.

“It was a very big tear in the muscle, I tore a little bit of the tendon. It is a very complicated place in all sports, but in tennis we get strength from there, so it is a slower recovery than we would like.

“We have no choice but to be a little patient; it is true that the calendar is passing and that I am no longer 20 years old, and after a year like the one I’ve been having, one gets tired, but I do what I can.

“Every day I’m at the Academy training, gym, recovery, 15 or 20 minutes on the court so that my arm doesn’t degenerate.

“The important thing for me, beyond all that, is to try to be healthy, when I compete on clay to feel that I can compete for what I want and fight for the ultimate goal, which right now has to be Roland Garros.”

There have long been suggestions that Nadal may call time on his record breaking career at the French Open, where he has won a remarkable 14 times on his beloved clay court.

Now there are rumours swirling on the tennis grapevine that Nadal could be forced to bring down the curtain on his tennis journey in 2023, with next month’s French Open a location he might choose to play his last match.

The fact that he is putting so much effort and energy into his latest comeback confirms his passion to compete for another title at Roland Garros burns brightly.

Meanwhile, respected coach Patrick Mouratoglou has backed Nadal to perform at a high level in the French Open.

“Rafa has one goal, to win more Grand Slams than anyone else,” the Frenchman told Eurosport.

“He knows that his number one chance is the French Open and I think he told himself that he wanted to arrive in Paris in the best shape possible.

“But it’s harder and harder every year because his body is very worn out, more than other players. He gave 1000% in training and matches. That means that his annual playing time is getting shorter every year.

“I think his goal is still Roland Garros, which is why he’s been preparing on clay for a long time. He’ll be in shape tennis-wise.

“Will he be physically fit? I can’t say, it will depend on how he manages his injuries.

“He’ll have to have a few matches, but I’m not really worried about him. He will be ready for Roland Garros.

“The rest of the year is something else… If he does well at Roland-Garros, he’s done well for the year and he often plays pretty well on hard courts.”

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