Spring will not be the same in Paris this year. For the first time since 2005, when he won the first of his 14 titles there, Rafael Nadal will not be at Roland-Garros. The Spaniard wants to treat his injuries in order to start his farewell tour from professional tennis next year.
This decision was made by his body, the clay court king apparently said calmly during a press conference in Spain, ten days before his beloved tournament.
Photo: AFP
Left Rafael Nadal during his first coronation at Roland-Garros in 2005. Right the Spaniard in 2022 after his 14th conquest.
“We have no solution”
Since losing in the second round of the Australian Open, the soon-to-be 37-year-old legend has been unsuccessfully trying to treat pain in the iliopsoas, a muscle in the pelvis. “Rafa” has not played a game in the last few months.
Despite “working as hard as possible” in training for several weeks, Nadal confirmed on Thursday what all his admirers feared.
Photo: AFP
Rafael Nadal held a press conference in Spain on Thursday to announce that he will not be able to defend his title at Roland-Garros and that he wants to play a final season after a break of a few months. In the mortise we see him during his 14 coronations in Paris.
He will not be able to defend (again) his title, which he acquired in pain on the Paris Ocher last year, after having received injections for a fortnight to freeze his left foot, which has been affected by an illness since the beginning of his career so-called Müller-Weiss syndrome.
“We haven’t found a solution to my problem [au bassin], the Spaniard regretted with 22 Major titles, a record he shares with Serbian Novak Djokovic. I don’t feel able to live up to my expectations and I’m not the type of person who goes to Roland-Garros just to be there.
Hoping for a final season
Yet when he confirmed his fans’ fears, Rafa also partially reassured them. Despite the ongoing pain, the former world No. 1, who is now ranked 14th, does not want to end his long and successful career immediately.
No, if he takes a complete break from training for “two, three, four months,” it’s more in the hope of getting back into shape in 2024 for what may be his last dance.
Because Nadal did not see himself able to stop everything in a press conference. “I think I deserve better,” said the champion.
He wants to say goodbye to the tournaments he loved, winning 92 so far on the ATP.
“My goal is to give myself the opportunity to enjoy the next season, which will probably be my last,” he hinted.
“I hope so, even if I can’t say 100% that it will be like this, because you never know,” continued the “Bull of Manacor”.
A big emptiness
Therefore, Paris will not be the same again this spring. Moreover, for the first time since 1998, the French will not be able to see either Rafa or his biggest rival, Switzerland’s Roger Federer, who retired last year at the age of 41, in action.
The void will be huge. Nadal in Paris has 14 titles in 18 years – a record, all Grand Slams combined -, 112 wins with just three losses (Djokovic, twice, and Robin Söderling) and almost $35 million in purses.
On 89 occasions the “Ogre of Ocher,” a nickname that couldn’t be more apt, liquidated his opponents in three rounds, a stunning feat of arms on this ground that tends to prolong duels.
Furthermore, there are again only three – Djokovic, Félix Auger-Aliassime last year and the surprise John Isner – who have pushed him to the limit of five rounds at the Porte d’Auteuil.
Photo: AFP
Rafael Nadal after beating Félix Auger-Aliassime in five sets in Paris last year.
“Roland will always be Roland”
According to L’Équipe, this package will see Nadal drop back to 130th in the world rankings at the end of the 14 days, L’Équipe reported on Thursday. For the first time in more than 20 years, he is excluded from the world’s top 100.
This is another page turning. The Spaniard, a philosopher, didn’t want to dwell too much on the legacy he will leave at Roland-Garros and tennis, regardless of the future his body holds for him.
“Roland-Garros will always be Roland-Garros, with or without me. “It’s the biggest tournament on clay,” emphasized the clay court king modestly.
A god on earth in Paris
- First participation in 2005, at the age of 18.
- 14 titles in as many finals, a Grand Slam record (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022)
- 112 wins
- 3 defeats (vs. Robin Söderling in round of 16, 2009; v. Novak Djokovic in quarter-finals, 2015; v. Djokovic in semi-finals, 2021)
- A package before a game (vs Marcel Granollers in the third round, 2016)
- Nearly $35 million Canadian in grants