MIAMI, United States. — The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal, considered one of the best athletes of all time, announced this Thursday that 2024 will be his last year on the courts and that he will take the next few months to recover from the injury that has been afflicting him since last month. January.
In a press conference held at his academy in Manacor (Balearic Islands), the 22-time winner of grand slams put an end to the mystery about whether or not he would be in the next edition of Roland Garros, a tournament that he has won 14 times and of which he is the current champion.
“After having lost these last few months trying my best to recover, it has not been possible. Once we have reached this point, I am still not prepared to be able to compete at the level I need, so I need to put a full stop to my sports career, ”said the Spaniard, who did not set exact deadlines for his return.
Rafa Nadal was injured on January 17, 2023 in his second round match at the Australian Open against the American Mackenzie McDonald, which ended in defeat and elimination for the Spanish three sets to zero. In the second set of that match, Nadal felt a puncture in the upper thigh of his left leg, which ended up being a level two injury to the iliopsoasmuscle that lies between the abdominal cavity and the front part of the thigh.
Although the expected recovery was eight weeks, his return to the courts was delayed due to the discomfort, which forced Nadal to postpone his return and cancel his participation in tournaments that he has won on several occasions, such as the ATP Masters. 1000 in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, as well as the ATP 500 in Barcelona, which is played on a track that bears his name. Finally, he will not be at the French Open either, his big goal.
“The injury I suffered in Australia has not evolved as expected. We have been working non-stop at all times and with our sights set on the following objectives, although they were getting lost along the way. The most important, which was Roland Garros, is now impossible. At this moment I will not be able to be at Roland Garros after many years without missing an appointment, with all that this tournament means to me. It is not a decision that I make, but a decision that my body makes, ”Nadal said in front of numerous Spanish and foreign media who gathered at his academy.
“What I am going to try is to regenerate my body in the coming months, I am not going to set a return date. My intention is when I feel physically and mentally prepared, if that happens, to start over, ”said the tennis player when asked about his eventual return to competition.
The man from Manacor made it clear that his intention is to recover 100% and play one last season to say goodbye to his favorite tournaments, if his physique allows it.
In 20 years of professional career, Rafael Nadal has won 22 grand slamsa record that he shares with the Serbian Novak Djokovic, 36 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments and 23 in the ATP 500 category. He was individual Olympic champion in Beijing 2008 and in doubles in Rio 2016.
His last victories date from last year, when he won his second Australian Open in five sets against Russian Daniil Medvedev, the Acapulco ATP 500, against the same rival, and Roland Garros, a contest that he won for the fourteenth time, liquidating in the final the Norwegian Casper Ruud.
