Rafael Nadal has not competed professionally since the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where he was defeated by eventual gold medalist Novak Djokovic in the second round. Although Nadal intended to return at the 2024 Laver Cup (September 20-22), he has officially withdrawn from the event, sparking further speculation about his retirement.
“I’m really disappointed to share that I won’t be able to compete at the Laver Cup in Berlin next week,” he said in a statement. “I have so many great, emotional memories from playing Laver Cup and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and with Bjorn in his final year as Captain. I wish Team Europe the very best of luck and will be cheering them on from afar,” he concluded.
While Nadal hasn’t confirmed when and where he will retire, many fans expected this to be his final Laver Cup, at least. He last played at this tournament in 2022, when he teamed up with his rival and friend Roger Federer in the Swiss great’s final match of his career. But, surely, Nadal wasn’t planning to have a similar moment in Berlin.
The Spaniard’s last comments on his retirement came in an interview with the Spanish TV show El Hormiguero, in which he said he “can’t live thinking daily about retirement” and that he gave himself the option to “enjoy tennis after a year off.”
Rafael Nadal played alongside Roger Federer in the Swiss’ final match at the 2022 Laver Cup (Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
“When I have a clear decision, I’ll tell you, but don’t ask me because I’m going to end up believing that I need to retire right away,” Nadal told host Pablo Motos. A former world No. 1 and 22-time Grand Slam champion, Nadal has dropped outside the top 150 due to injury struggles. He also withdrew from the 2024 US Open, which was won by current No. 1 Jannik Sinner.
Roger Federer shares his thoughts on Rafael Nadal’s potential retirement
During his visit to the Today show last week, Federer opened up about Nadal’s state of form. “Rafa is a good guy, he’s had a great career. Overall he can do what he wants to do, he’s been one of the most iconic tennis players we’ve ever had in our sport and that’s what I told him,” he said.
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“So I just hope he can go out on his own terms and the way he wants to go out, but he’s a good guy, he’s had a great career,” Federer continued. “It’s up to him to decide how he wants to do it. I don’t have any information about it and I hope that, in fact, he will play much longer than we think. But it’s his body, as he says in all honesty,“ he concluded.
