Rafael Nadal said he will decide on his tennis future “after the Olympics” after losing in straight sets to old rival Novak Djokovic at the Paris Games on Monday.
“When this tournament is over, I will make the necessary decisions based on my feelings and desires,” said Nadal, who lost 6-1, 6-4 to Djokovic in his 60th career match.
Nadal, who is competing in only his eighth tournament of the year following another injury-plagued season, said that at 38, he no longer had “the legs of 20 years ago.”
The Spaniard, a gold medallist at the Olympics in singles in 2008 and doubles at Rio eight years later, won the last of his 22 Grand Slam titles when he captured a 14th French Open in Paris in 2022.
His former world number one ranking has dropped to 161.
In May, he lost in the first round of the French Open and then skipped Wimbledon to focus on the Olympics.
“For many people, it makes little sense; I’ve been suffering for two years,” said Nadal, who called Monday’s defeat as “tough.”
“If I feel I am not competitive, I will decide to stop. I just do my best every day to enjoy something I’ve been loving for a long time.
“I have suffered numerous injuries during the last two years. So, if I feel I’m not competitive enough to keep going or that I’m not physically prepared to keep going, I’ll quit and let you know.”
Despite his defeat, Nadal is still hoping for a gold medal in the men’s doubles, where he will compete with Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic won his 31st Grand Slam match on Monday, continuing a rivalry that began on the same Roland Garros clay courts in 2006.
Nadal was completely overwhelmed in the highly anticipated match, only momentarily coming alive in the second set when he won four points in a row.
“I’m very relieved,” Djokovic remarked after his second-round triumph.
“Back in 2006, I don’t think we would have thought we would be playing against each other on the same court at the Olympics.”
Nadal conceded that Djokovic was the better player throughout the contest.
“Playing against Novak, without creating damage to him and without having the legs of, 20 years ago is, is almost impossible now.”
The statistics were discouraging for Nadal, who managed only four points off Djokovic’s serve in the first set.
There was no relief in the second set, as Djokovic broke twice to take a 4-0 lead.
Djokovic, seeking his first Olympic gold medal, unexpectedly offered Nadal a lifeline when he served a double fault that was broken for the first time.
Nadal recovered the second break to go from 0-4 to 4-4 as the top seed fell off the pace.
Djokovic reacted with a drop-shot that caught Nadal off guard, and the Serb broke for 5-4 on a fourth break point before clinching victory with an ace.