Rafael Nadal appears to be nearing the end of his career, with Andy Roddick speculating that the Laver Cup could be his final appearance in top-tier tennis.
After announcing last year that the 2024 tennis season would most likely be his final campaign as a professional, Nadal has made several contradictory statements about his retirement, including refusing to state that his first-round exit from the French Open was his last appearance at Roland Garros.
After losing to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris Olympics, the 38-year-old initially stated that he would play at the US Open, but on Wednesday he declared that he “decided not to compete” at Flushing Meadows, claiming that “I don’t think I would be able to give my 100% this time”.
In the announcement, he also stated that his “next event will be the Laver Cup in Berlin”.
His itinerary after that is unknown, and Roddick believes the annual team event in Germany, which takes place from September 20 to 22, could be the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s final appearance in tennis.
On the Served With Andy Roddick podcast, the American stated that the Laver Cup might be a celebration. We all feel better when he’s around. Hopefully, we’ll see him in the big final again. I do not know. It feels like this is the end.
“I’m certainly not like the greatest players of all time. I can’t figure it out, but I don’t know if he wants to compete for titles in Bastad. I don’t know if it’s his lane. We’ll see.
“We don’t know what he’ll do, and we’re not in his inner circle, but I doubt he’ll make an attempt to give Roland Garros another chance. But I’ve been incorrect about him in the past, and any analyst with an opinion is only speculating.”
However, as Roddick stated, tennis analysts are all “guessing” on Nadal’s retirement because the great man himself does not appear to know when he will stop playing.
After losing in the second round of the Paris Olympics against Novak Djokovic, Nadal lost his cool when reporters asked about his future, saying, “You want me to retire every day, guys.
“I’m trying to do my best. I can’t live every day wondering if it’ll be my last match.
“I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years. So, if I feel that I am not competitive enough to keep going, or physically I’m not ready to keep going, I will stop and I will let you know.”