Rafael Nadal’s Laver Cup appearance ‘feels like this could be the end’, says former world No 1
The end appears to be near for Rafael Nadal with Andy Roddick suggesting the Laver Cup could be his final appearance in top-level tennis.
Having announced last year that the 2024 tennis season would likely be his final campaign as a professional, there had been several conflicting statements from Nadal about his retirement as after his first-round exit from the French Open he refused to state that it was his last appearance at Roland Garros.
After losing in the second round of the Paris Olympics against Novak Djokovic, the 38-year-old initially indicated he would play at the US Open, but on Wednesday he announced that he “decided not to compete” at Flushing Meadows, stating “I don’t think I would be able to give my 100% this time”.
In the statement, he also confirmed that his “next event will be the Laver Cup in Berlin”.
His schedule after that is unclear and Roddick feels the annual team event in Germany – which runs from September 20-22 – could well be the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s farewell to tennis.
On the Served With Andy Roddick podcast, the American said: “The Laver Cup could be a celebration. We’re all better when he’s around. Hopefully we’ll see him in the big finals again. I don’t know. It feels like this could be the end.
“I’m certainly not like the greatest players of all time. I can’t figure it out, but I don’t know if he wants to compete for titles in Bastad. I don’t know if it’s his lane. We’ll see.
“We don’t know what he’ll do, we’re not in his inner circle, but I find it hard to believe that he’ll put in the effort and try to give Roland Garros another chance. But I’ve been wrong about him in the past and any analyst who has an opinion is just guessing.”
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But as Roddick said, tennis pundits are all “guessing” when it comes to Nadal’s retirement as the great man himself doesn’t appear to know when he will bow out.
After losing in the second round of the Paris Olympics against Novak Djokovic, Nadal lost his cool with reporters asking him about his future, stating: “You want me to retire every day guys, you ask me for that.
“I am trying to do my best. I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be or not going to be my last match.”
“I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years. So, if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going, or physically I’m not ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know.”
