In the days before the French Open began this year, Rafael Nadal’s outlook on his future seemed to have shifted. The first months of 2024 had been some of the toughest in his career as he tried to return to the court after a series of injuries had culminated in a significant hip surgery last year.
When, after an initial false start, he finally returned on the clay in Barcelona, Nadal repeatedly asserted that he was still struggling physically and his primary motivation for competing was simply to say goodbye to his home crowd. He lost in the second round.
