Having not competed since January 18, when he left Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open limping in pain, Rafael Nadal I didn’t know then that I was entering a long and dark tunnel. The prognosis called for a medical leave of six to eight weeks due to a grade 2 iliopsoas injury in his left leg, but the reality turned out to be much harsher. It remains in dry dock after four months.
He immediately erased Doha, Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami from his calendar, prioritizing clay, the road to Roland Garros, where he will have to defend his fourteenth Musketeers Cup from May 28 to June 11 However, Monte Carlo, the Conde de Godó Trophy, the Mutua Madrid Open and Rome fell from his schedule.
He clings to the miracle in Paris, which never happened. This Thursday, at Movistar’s Rafa Nadal Academy in Manacor, which more than ever has become his personal fortress with his loyal technical team, Rafael Nadal made things clear.
He will not play Roland Garros 2023. More of a confirmation than something new, because all the data is stacked against him. But it is necessary for the king of the land to say it out loud, dominating fourteen out of eighteen participations at Roland Garros.
He appeared a few minutes after 4 pm, honoring the small delays that are also part of his sporting profile and personal aspects. The trainers Carlos Moya and Gustavo Marcacciothe manager Carlos Costathe physio Rafa Maymó and Benito Perez-Barbadillo (press), as witnesses. as well as his wife, Mary Perelloand his sister Maribel.
Not only will he be in Paris, but “I have no intention of continuing to play for the next few months. You have to put a point and a side”. He will try to rebuild his body to “face next year with guarantees, which I suspect will be my last year. I want to give myself the opportunity to play in the tournament that I feel like next year.”
“I have no intention of continuing to play for the next months. I am not setting a date for my return,” he said, although he mentioned the Davis Cup as a possibility to return at the end of 2023, to face a 2024 that will be his farewell. Nadal will turn 37 on June 3.
He emphasized that “this is a decision that my body makes. It was difficult for me to have continuity after the pandemic, I chained injury with injury. They were quite complicated years, covering some important achievements. And this has also moved into the personal sphere”.
He made it clear “I will stop, I will not train, I am not here to continue training. In many moments of failure, there is a moment to stop. If I don’t stop, I don’t I don’t think I will make it to next year. See us if the body regenerates”, Manacorí pointed out.
“I’m better now than a few weeks ago. I’m fine. I lost an important season, on a tennis level I felt ready to fight for the things I’ve been fighting for all these years. But on a physical level not you can be angry, you can be sad, which is what I do, but as always you have to look forward, to the future. There are other things in my day to day that help me enjoy life”, he explained how he personally
He knows the challenge ahead: “If I will be competitive again, I don’t know. I am a fairly rational person and I know the difficulties. I will fight to give myself the opportunity to compete again. The goal is my last “This year is not just a year of comparison, do everything possible to compete at the highest level. Be competitive in this tour of land fighting to win tournaments”.
“I don’t deserve to end up like this. I want to give myself a chance to end up on a tennis court, feeling like a good-level player, fighting for the big tournaments, as it has been in my career,” he concluded.
When asked if there was an open path for more tennis in 2025 if the plan for 2024 worked, he said that “it is difficult for me to have a future, but for the avoidance of doubt, I said that my intention is this. and that what It could happen in the future, I can’t predict it. Possible (to continue in 2025)? Everything is possible in this life. Improbable? I also think it is unlikely, but right now I feel that way.” Sign a good 2024 for the “final fireworks”.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
