{"id":2547,"date":"2024-04-24T13:54:11","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T13:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eliteeducators.org\/?p=2547"},"modified":"2024-04-24T15:29:17","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T15:29:17","slug":"rafael-nadal-drops-major-hint-over-french-open-and-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.eliteeducators.org\/index.php\/2024\/04\/24\/rafael-nadal-drops-major-hint-over-french-open-and-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Rafael Nadal drops major hint over French Open and retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Rafael<\/div>
Rafael Nadal will only play the French Open if he feels ‘competitive’ (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rafael Nadal has hinted that he may miss the French Open<\/a> due to injury but suggests it will not force him into retirement from tennis just yet.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old, one of the greatest players of all time, has spoken openly about hanging up his racket<\/a> several times and said 2024 would likely be his final season in the sport, later admitting he may not make it<\/a> through the entire year.<\/p>\n

Nadal has once again largely struggled with injury, picking up a muscle problem in Brisbane<\/a> at the start of January in a huge blow to his farewell tour plans.<\/p>\n

The Spanish<\/a> legend, who has won 22 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, finally made his return in Barcelona this month, producing a win<\/a> over Italian<\/a> star Flavio Cobolli.<\/p>\n

Nadal lost to Alex De Minaur<\/a> in his next match and is back in action on Thursday at the Madrid Open as he faces 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of that match, Nadal has revealed that he will not be able to feature at his beloved Grand Slam this year unless he can make a recovery.<\/p>\n

The French Open begins in under a month in Paris – where Nadal holds the record<\/a> for the most men’s singles titles – and has earned the nickname ‘King of Clay’.<\/p>\n

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\"Rafael<\/div>
Rafael Nadal is targeting the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris (Picture: Getty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John McEnroe predicted earlier this year that Nadal would retire from tennis<\/a> if he wasn’t able to play Roland-Garros but that does not appear to be the case.<\/p>\n

‘If I arrive in Paris the way I feel today, I won\u2019t play [the French Open],’ Nadal said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u2019I’ll play Roland-Garros if I feel competitive\u2026 It won\u2019t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I still have goals after Roland-Garros, like the Olympics.’<\/p>\n