Tennis legend hopes Rafael Nadal meets Novak Djokovic in the first round at Roland Garros
Italian tennis great Adriano Panatta believes Rafael Nadal will retire after Roland Garros and he hopes the Spaniard faces his long-time rival Novak Djokovic in what could be his final match in Paris.
Nadal has already confirmed that the 2024 tennis season will most likely be his final one as a professional, but he has kept tight-lipped about his exact retirement plans.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner recently confirmed his intention to play at Roland Garros after many questioned whether or not he would return to action.
“I hope to be competitive. I hope and believe I can be competitive in a few weeks. That’s the way that I need to proceed, and to give me a chance to be ready at least to compete at Roland-Garros,” the former world No 1 said after losing in the second round of the Barcelona Open.
He is set to play at the Madrid Open this week where he will play 16-year-old Darwin Blanch in the first round and the Italian Open in a fortnight before taking part at the French Open.
It remains to be seen if he will play at Wimbledon, but he has indicated he wants to also compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics at Roland Garros in August while he has also signed up for the Laver Cup in September.
READ MORE: Rafael Nadal will not retire at the Laver Cup – but he may have another date in mind
But former world No 4 Panatta believes Nadal will call it a day after the French Open while he also suggested Djokovic will quit at the end of the season with the pair joining fellow Big Three rival Roger Federer in retirement.
“The era of [Rafael] Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is at an end,” he told RAI’s La Domenica Sportiva.
“Nadal I think will quit after Roland Garros, Djokovic might retire at the end of the year, because in 2025 he will be 38 years old and he is realising that he can no longer continue as he would like to.”
The 1976 French Open champion also hopes that Nadal’s final match at Roland Garros is against his nemesis Djokovic.
The pair have enjoyed one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history as they have met 59 times with Djokovic leading 30-29 although Nadal is 11–7 at Grand Slam events.
The Spaniard won’t be seeded at the French Open as he has slipped down the rankings and he could meet any of the big guns in the first round.
Panatta added: “At Roland Garros I hope Nadal finds Djokovic in the first round: I would be very disappointed if someone who has won 14 times in Paris would go out against just anyone.”
