Andy Roddick suggested that Rafael Nadal’s final match in the professional tennis world would most likely be the Laver Cup, implying that the player’s career was drawing to an end.
Rafael Nadal’s career appears to be nearing to a close, with Andy Roddick hinting that the Laver Cup might be his final professional tennis match.
Although Nadal declared last year that the 2024 tennis season will most likely be his last as a professional, he has made some contradicting pronouncements about his retirement. For example, after losing in the first round at the French Open, he refused to proclaim it was his last participation at Roland Garros.
After falling to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Paris Olympics, the 38-year-old announced plans to participate at the US Open. However, he revealed on Wednesday that he had decided not to compete at Flushing Meadows because he did not believe he would be able to give his all this time. He also stated in the announcement that the Laver Cup in Berlin will be his next competition.
Roddick feels that the yearly team event in Germany, which runs from September 20 to 22, could be the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s final match before retiring from tennis. However, his plans after then are unknown.
Roddick talked about it and said: “The Laver Cup could be a celebration. We’re all better when he’s around. Hopefully, we’ll see him in the big finals again. I don’t know. It feels like this could be the end. I’m certainly not one of 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.”
Roddick added: “We don’t know what he’ll do, we’re not in his inner circle, but I find it hard to believe that he’ll put in the effort and try to give Roland Garros another chance. But I’ve been wrong about him in the past and any analyst who has an opinion is just guessing.”
Rafael Nadal in 2024
At the moment ranked no.159, Nadal played his last match on the 29th of July when he was defeated by world no.2 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
This year Rafael has a 12-7 record. Rafael Nadal’s most significant result of this season was reaching the final in Bastad.
Nadal is scheduled to play next at the U.S. Open (U.S. Open). He will begin to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 26th of August.