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Sounds like he wants to but both whether he plays at all, or where and how much he plays is still up in the air.
Nadal: “As well as the iliopsoas, on June 2, I had a hip operation. It’s been a very tough year and a half since the rib injury in Indian Wells, despite the Roland Garros title. The results sometimes belie the daily reality. My iliopsoas was very bad and the operation was a solution. They told me that if I didn’t have the operation I wouldn’t recover even if I stopped for a long time. I took the decision, and the operation went well, but it’s a long time. I’ve been on holiday for five weeks only doing gym.”
Nadal, who hinted in May that 2024 might be the last season of his career, maintains that it is just a possibility among many, and that only time will tell.
“Now it’s a controllable pain, nothing I can’t handle," said the Spaniard. "I’m not sure what I’ll do in 2024, because the way I approach the year completely changes depending on what my goals are. If I don’t recover, that’s one thing, if I can compete on a level that excites me, that’s another thing altogether... Of course, in that case, I would play. But not with the schedule I’d like to have.
“I still have no need to answer that [now]. If I can play, but I’m not at the level to win at Roland Garros, maybe I will decide to have a goodbye tour. I can’t answer that right now. The Olympic Games would be the icing on the cake if I’m competitive. My schedule would change if I feel like I have a chance of playing and winning at Roland Garros.
“My hope is that in two months, mid-November, I’ll be able to say where I am. How I am physically, and above all how the injury is. We haven’t set a timeframe. First, I have a recovery process, I’m training 40 minutes, three days a week. This is my day-to-day schedule and I work a lot of hours in the gym and on recovery. Will it be my last year? Have I planned it that way? Well, what if that’s not the case? What if, suddenly, after a long break, my body recovers and I feel strong enough and have enough energy to continue? Why would I lie and then say something else?
"I’m prudent, when I know the answer, I’ll say something. I take it day by day with the hope of having the option to decide.”
~~~
Carlos Alcaraz speaking yesterday on Nadal:
"Right now Rafa is suffering a lot. I hope he can train again & that he can play next year from the beginning, that we have a healthy Rafa, ready for the Olympic Games.
Obviously it would be a dream for me to play doubles with him in Paris. It depends on both of us”
Nadal: “As well as the iliopsoas, on June 2, I had a hip operation. It’s been a very tough year and a half since the rib injury in Indian Wells, despite the Roland Garros title. The results sometimes belie the daily reality. My iliopsoas was very bad and the operation was a solution. They told me that if I didn’t have the operation I wouldn’t recover even if I stopped for a long time. I took the decision, and the operation went well, but it’s a long time. I’ve been on holiday for five weeks only doing gym.”
Nadal, who hinted in May that 2024 might be the last season of his career, maintains that it is just a possibility among many, and that only time will tell.
“Now it’s a controllable pain, nothing I can’t handle," said the Spaniard. "I’m not sure what I’ll do in 2024, because the way I approach the year completely changes depending on what my goals are. If I don’t recover, that’s one thing, if I can compete on a level that excites me, that’s another thing altogether... Of course, in that case, I would play. But not with the schedule I’d like to have.
“I still have no need to answer that [now]. If I can play, but I’m not at the level to win at Roland Garros, maybe I will decide to have a goodbye tour. I can’t answer that right now. The Olympic Games would be the icing on the cake if I’m competitive. My schedule would change if I feel like I have a chance of playing and winning at Roland Garros.
“My hope is that in two months, mid-November, I’ll be able to say where I am. How I am physically, and above all how the injury is. We haven’t set a timeframe. First, I have a recovery process, I’m training 40 minutes, three days a week. This is my day-to-day schedule and I work a lot of hours in the gym and on recovery. Will it be my last year? Have I planned it that way? Well, what if that’s not the case? What if, suddenly, after a long break, my body recovers and I feel strong enough and have enough energy to continue? Why would I lie and then say something else?
"I’m prudent, when I know the answer, I’ll say something. I take it day by day with the hope of having the option to decide.”
~~~
Carlos Alcaraz speaking yesterday on Nadal:
"Right now Rafa is suffering a lot. I hope he can train again & that he can play next year from the beginning, that we have a healthy Rafa, ready for the Olympic Games.
Obviously it would be a dream for me to play doubles with him in Paris. It depends on both of us”
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