Rafael Nadal has addressed his potential participation in the US Open, dropping hints about a possible retirement. On Friday, Nadal faced a tough battle against Argentina’s Mariano Navone in the Swedish Open quarter-finals. Despite losing the first set in a tie-break, the 38-year-old Spaniard drew on his experience to secure a 6(2)-7(7), 7-5, 7-5 victory.
Nadal, who missed most of 2023, made his return at the Brisbane International in January. However, an injury prevented him from competing in the Australian Open. In his subsequent return, he suffered a first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros and skipped Wimbledon to prepare for the Paris Olympics.
Following his win on Friday, Nadal was questioned about his US Open plans. He confirmed that he had registered for the tournament but stated that a final decision would come after the Olympics. “I had to check in for the US Open entry list and give myself a chance to decide in the upcoming weeks,” Nadal explained.
Nadal suggested that he might retire after this year, especially considering his recent injury and fitness challenges. He hinted at making a conclusive decision post-Olympics and emphasized that fans should not have false expectations about his participation in New York. “It’s as simple as that. Nothing has changed in my schedule, and I will think about my next moves after the Olympic Games. I will compete at the Laver Cup, but I can not create false expectations about traveling to New York, as I’m not sure,” he said.
In his match against Navone, Nadal showed signs of fatigue. Despite having a 5-2 lead in the third set, the Argentine broke his serve twice to level the set at 5-5. Nonetheless, Nadal kept his composure, losing only one point in the final two games to win the match. Nadal’s last semi-final appearance was at Wimbledon in 2022. He is set to face Croatian qualifier Duje Ajdukovic in the Swedish Open semi-final.
