French Open 2024: Rafael Nadal's farewell cancelled by tournament organisers after Spaniard suggests future backtrack
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ByOli Gent
Updated 26/05/2024 at 15:42 GMT
Rafael Nadal, the record 14-time Roland-Garros champion, said earlier this year that there was "a big, big chance" that the 2024 French Open would be his last. As a result, the tournament decided to organise a send-off. However, those plans have since been quashed after Nadal, who plays Alexander Zverev in the first round, revealed on Saturday that he was still undecided on his future.
Nadal arrives for practice after French Open farewell ceremony cancelled
Rafael Nadal's prospective farewell ceremony at the French Open has been cancelled after the Spaniard appeared to backtrack on his previous statement that this year's tournament would be his last.
The record 14-time champion at Roland-Garros, Nadal had previously cast doubt on his future participation on the Parisian dirt, saying that there was "a big, big chance" that the 2024 French Open could be the last of his career.
However, the Spaniard, speaking on Saturday ahead of his first-round encounter with fourth seed Alexander Zverev, questioned his earlier remark, admitting that he was not 100% certain about his future.
“It’s a big, big chance that it's going to be my last Roland-Garros, but if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland-Garros, sorry, but I will not, because I cannot predict what’s going on," Nadal said.
“I have been going through a long process of recovery from a very difficult injury, almost two years of suffering, a recovery process that seems like I feel better now.
“I am not a guy that reacts because I lost there, or I lost in the other place. I react about my personal feelings, and my personal feelings are better now than one month and a half ago, without a doubt.
“So in some way, I don’t want to close the door 100%.”
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‘Prepared for a tough battle’ - Zverev on first-round clash with Nadal
Amelie Mauresmo, the tournament director at Roland-Garros, was keen to give the Spaniard as much time as he needed to make his final decision.
She said: “As you can imagine, we had something planned for him, but he said [on Saturday] - he told us actually before yesterday - that he doesn’t know if it’s gonna be his last Roland-Garros or not.
“He wants to leave the door open for him maybe to come back next year as a player. So we’re not going to push him to do anything. It’s his decision when he wants to have a proper ceremony or proper goodbye and proper farewell. So we’re not going to do it this year.
“That’s his wish, even though we’re ready to push the button and something happens, we are obviously going to respect what he wants and make sure we are ready whenever he feels he wants to do it: later this year, next year, anytime he wants.”
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Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, has suffered badly with injuries last year and this, returning to the tour in Barcelona after being sidelined at the Brisbane International back in January, when he sustained a "micro tear", forcing him to miss the Australian Open.
The 'King of Clay' was beaten comprehensively in Barcelona by Alex de Minaur, but he exacted his revenge on the Australian in Madrid, defeating him in the second round before being knocked out by Jiri Lehecka. He was then beaten by the hard-hitting Pole Hubert Hurkacz in Rome.
You can watch every day of the 2024 French Open live and on-demand on discovery+.
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