Rafael Nadal casts doubt on Wimbledon appearance after emotional French Open exit
Rafael Nadal has outlined his future plans as he prepares to retire from tennis at the end of 2024.
The 37-year-old suffered a first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev in what was likely his final French Open match, and revealed afterwards that he could miss Wimbledon in July.
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Having previously hinted that 2024 could be his last year in tennis, Nadal's Roland Garros exit brought about emotional scenes as fans saluted his legacy at the tournament where he is a 14-time champion.
In a post-match speech to the Paris crowd, the Spaniard admitted he is unlikely to return to the clay court major.
He said: "It's probably a big percentage that I will not be back playing here at Roland Garros, but I can't say 100 per cent."
Despite casting doubt over his long-term future in the sport, Nadal shared his hopes of making another appearance on his favourite court in this summer's Paris Olympics, taking place at Roland Garros.
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However, the tennis legend admitted that his Paris dream could mean that he is forced to sacrifice taking part in Wimbledon, which starts on July 1.
Having struggled with persistent hip injuries since the beginning of 2023, Nadal explained that he is reluctant to switch to grass from clay, and then back again in time for the Olympics in August.
When asked if he would compete in SW19, the 22-time Grand Slam champion told his post-match press conference: “It looks difficult, honestly.
“I can’t confirm what’s going on, but it looks difficult to make the transition to grass, having the Olympics again on clay.
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"I cannot confirm anything, I have to talk with the team to analyse so many facts.
“But I don’t think it’s going to be smart after all the things that happened to my body to make a big transition to a completely different surface and then come back immediately to clay. Today I feel that’s not a good idea.”
With Nadal a two-time Wimbledon winner, having tasted victory in London in both 2008 and 2010, this news will no doubt come as a disappointment to fans.
But they may well be slightly more understanding of the decision after hearing his exciting plans for his Roland Garros return in the summer.
The Beijing 2008 gold medallist is set to play Olympic doubles for Spain alongside reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Nadal previously discussed the possibility on the Madrid Open's official podcast IGUALES in April, saying: “I think if we're both fit enough, why not?
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"We could have the chance to form a great team and aspire to great things. It'd be good for both of us. I think it'd also be good for the Spanish team, so we'll see how things progress."
And Alcaraz, who was in the crowd for his compatriot's defeat to Zverev, confirmed the proposal after his first round French Open victory over J.J Wolf.
He revealed: "If everything goes well, we are going to play doubles here."
Should the budding partnership produce a positive result, it may well force Nadal to reconsider his earlier suggestion of retirement, having revealed that the decision is not yet set in stone.
The all-time great admitted: "I don't know what's going to happen in the next few months. I need to finish all this process.
"My mindset was ready until Olympics and then I need to check how I feel in different ways in terms of personal motivation, body feelings, and then in terms of level of tennis it makes sense to keep playing.”
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