PARIS – Rafael Nadal smiled. He joked. He sounded optimistic. He played well and felt better in training. He can't wait to get going at Roland Garros after struggling with hip and stomach problems for so long.
Oh, and then there's this little tidbit he dropped during a pre-tournament press conference on Saturday: This French Open might not be the 14-time champion's last appearance at his favorite event, one he called “magical.”
Because of his age—he turns 38 on June 3—and injuries, as well as previous statements that 2024 would likely be his last year on tour, everyone from other players to fans to the media assumed this would be his farewell appearance at the French Open.
When asked if that was true, Nadal grinned and replied: “Don’t assume so.”
Editor's Favorites
2 relatives
“It's very likely that it will be my last Roland Garros,” Nadal said. “But if I have to tell you that it will be 100% my last Roland Garros? I'm sorry, but I won't do that. Because I can't predict what will happen.”
The Spaniard missed much of the last two seasons due to health problems, including hip surgery that forced him to sit out the French Open a year ago, his first absence there since making his debut as a teenager. He has a record of just 7-4 in 2024 and expressed slight doubts about whether he would even take part in the clay-court tournament in Paris after a resounding defeat at the Italian Open two weeks ago – he called it a “disaster” on Saturday.
But he has shown up and practiced this week in front of a raucous, supportive crowd. With his ranking so low after so little activity – once No. 1, he is currently No. 276 – Nadal did not benefit from a seeding and was drawn to face No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in a showdown that will take center stage on Monday, the second day of the tournament.
“Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the later stages of the tournament, but that's the way it is. He's unseeded this year, I'm seeded,” Zverev said. “You know, it's a difficult draw, but it's a difficult draw for both of us. We'll see how it goes.”
Nadal said he could move more confidently than ever before and felt like he could now compete with anyone, a feeling that hadn't gone away for a while.
“I will probably say that it is the first week since my return to tennis that I can walk properly without having major limitations,” he said. “That gives me courage.”
Zverev has just won a title in Rome and could be a popular candidate as the most talented player to win a Grand Slam trophy to date. He finished runner-up at the 2020 US Open and was at the peak of his career two years ago at Roland Garros, when he faced Nadal in the semifinals but was forced to retire due to a torn ligament in his right ankle and was wheeled off Court Philippe Chatrier in a wheelchair.
When Zverev's brother, former player Mischa, informed him of the draw result on Thursday, Zverev thought he had taken it as a joke.
And Zverev – whose ongoing court case related to allegations of domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend will continue with a hearing in his native Germany next week – said he could not go into Monday's match with the thought of facing a weakened Nadal.
“In my mind I will play against Rafa Nadal at his best. That's what I expect from him. I expect him to reach his absolute top level,” said Zverev. “I expect him to play the best tennis he has played in a long time on this court.”
Nadal eventually won his 22nd major title at the 2022 French Open despite his left foot being so sore he needed nerve-numbing injections, so competing in less than perfect health is nothing new.
He injured his hip in a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023 and later had to undergo surgery. A comeback that January was prevented by a tear in a hip muscle near that original injury. A recurrence of an abdominal problem hampered Nadal later that season.
And although Nadal has often hinted that retirement is imminent, he said on Saturday that he “does not want to close the door 100 percent” because he enjoys playing tennis, enjoys traveling with his wife and young son and, he added, “I have not yet been able to find the right way to play again in more or less healthy condition and without limitations.”
On Saturday, he asked that no questions be asked about his future while he gets everything clear. About a possible return to the French Open. About how much longer he will be on tour.
“Give me some time,” Nadal said. “Maybe in a month and a half I'll say, 'OK, that's enough. I can't go on.' But today I somehow can't guarantee that this will be the last time.”
