TENNIS LEGEND RAFAEL NADAL GIVES SAD UPDATE ON HOPES OF PLAYING AT 2024 FRENCH OPEN

Tennis icon Rafael Nadal has confirmed he will not take to the court at the French Open in his current state.

The 14-time champion returned to action in Barcelona last week having been restricted to the sidelines with a hip issue. He had previously taken a year out of the game.

Nadal, now 37, has dropped a series of hints that the 2024 circuit will be his final season on tour. And he has now hinted that he might not take to the court at all at Roland Garros.

Speaking in Barcelona, Nadal said: “Some moments I find myself enjoying being on court, playing against the best players again and I feel myself more or less competitive, and other moments I feel limitations and it’s difficult.

“If I arrive in Paris the way I feel today, I will not play. I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive. If I can play, I play. If I can’t play, I can’t. It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I still have goals after Roland Garros, like the Olympics.”

Nadal will take on 16-year-old Darwin Blanch on Thursday afternoon in what could be one of his final appearances. Speaking last month, he claimed he was not going formally announce his retirement due to uncertainty over his fitness.

He said: “I’m not saying goodbye because then I’d say I’m not playing anymore. This is an important point and I don’t want to say it because I’m not 100% clear about it. In the last two years, I haven’t been able to play

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“Life is showing you the path. How did I imagine my farewell? At first, I didn’t imagine it because you start to imagine something, which means that the closer you are to it. It wasn’t something I had in mind. I would like to say goodbye well, being competitive and enjoying myself on the court.

“Whether that can be or not, time will tell. It is evident that the months and weeks show me a path that is complicated. There are moments that are difficult to manage.

“Two weeks ago, when I could not go to Doha, well it is another blow, but here we are. I’m going to give myself the opportunity to enjoy it a little more.”

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2024-04-24T15:20:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd