Rafael Nadal is concentrating on the Olympic Games in Paris, his final opportunity to win another gold for Spain, and will not be competing at the forthcoming Wimbledon. After losing at Roland Garros early on, Rafa is back on the practice court at home in Mallorca. He is looking for Olympic success and sharing a video with his supporters. Nadal remained on his beloved clay, spending the next several weeks getting ready for Paris and Bastad.
The seasoned athlete will enjoy his final Olympic Games in July, but after feeling well in the preceding weeks on the court, he intends to continue playing beyond 2024. The 22-time Major champion won two prestigious wins in 2022 before suffering a few setbacks, including a hip ailment that could have ended his career. Since 2023, Nadal has only participated in seven tournaments; he has missed out on high-rank victories and has fallen out of the top 600 for the first time in more than 20 years.In the second round of the 2023 Australian Open, Rafael Nadal hurt his left hip while playing Mackenzie McDonald. As a result, he missed the remainder of the season and took his longest sabbatical from tennis.
At the start of the current season, the Spaniard began working on his comeback and made a comeback appearance in Brisbane. Rafa suffered a setback in the quarterfinals against Jordan Thompson after making a strong start against Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler.After three and a half hours, Nadal lost badly after wasting three match points. After taking a long hiatus, he noticed soreness in his hip area and decided not to risk further problems, therefore he withdrew from the Australian Open. Rafa’s February training injury to his abdomen muscle made matters worse. The Spaniard stayed on the practice court and attended the official action in Barcelona after withdrawing from Doha, Indian Wells, and Monte Carlo due to his inability to serve correctly.Rafael Nadal uses Mallorcan clay for training.
Before traveling to Madrid, Rafael Nadal, who was competing for the first time in a hundred days, lost to Alex de Minaur in the second round. For the first time since the 2022 US Open, the home favorite performed better in Caja Magica, defeating three opponents and getting closer to his 100th Masters 1000 quarterfinal. Despite this, Nadal lost a close match to Jiri Lehecka and was anticipating for more success in Rome.He beat Zizou Bergs in the opening round before losing badly to Hubert Hurkacz, 6-1, 6-3. He struggled to serve and return, and his confidence diminished ahead of Roland Garros. Rafa, who had a protected ranking going into his beloved Major, was not lucky in the draw.
In the first round, he lost 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier to world No. 4 and Rome Masters champion Alexander Zverev in three hours and five minutes.Alexander made excellent play behind the first serve, robbing 45% of the return points and converting them into six breaks out of eighteen opportunities. On the return, the seasoned player created 11 opportunities, but only two were converted, resulting in his first Roland Garros loss. The German got off to a solid start, breaking the score 6-3 in the tenth game after scoring one early.In the second set, Nadal picked up a gear, grabbing a break and serving to end the match at 5-4. To set up a tie break, Zverev fought back against love and turned down two break points in the subsequent set. Alexander won and gained a significant lead. With two competitors trading early breaks in the opening portion of the third set, the returners had their opportunities. Zverev sealed the deal and dumped Rafael Nadal by winning two more matchups from 3-3.
