Rafael Nadal competed for the first time in almost year Sunday at the Brisbane International.
Nadal played doubles with fellow Spaniard Marc López, but the team lost in two sets. This marked the start of what was assumed to be Nadal’s final season in professional tennis, as the 37-year-old lefty has hinted at that in the past year while recovering from a hip injury.
However, Nadal seemed to change this mindset when speaking to media on Sunday. It sounds like he’s now keeping his options open past finishing his career in 2024.
“The problem about saying it's going to be my last season is that I can’t predict what's going on 100% in the future,” Nadal said, via ESPN. “That’s the thing. That’s why I say probably.”
He did in fact tell media back in May that it would “probably” be his last season based on medical recommendation, but he never set an official retirement date.
“It’s obvious it's a high percentage that it’s going to be my last time playing in Australia,” Nadal continued on Sunday. “But if I’m here next year, don’t tell me, ‘You said it’s going to be your last season,’ because I didn’t say it. You never know what’s going on, you know? I can’t predict how I'm going to be in the next six months. I can’t predict if my body will allow me to enjoy tennis as much as I enjoyed the past 20 years.”
The 22-time Grand Slam champion is slated to play in the 2024 Australian Open, which begins on Sunday, Jan. 14. First, he will play in the singles competition at the Brisbane International, competing against Dominic Thiem on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
