Rafael Nadal has admitted that he will not play Roland Garros if he feels the way he does today.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is set to play his third tournament of the season in Madrid as he is set to say farewell to tennis this season.

However before saying goodbye to the sport, Nadal would love one last triumph at Roland Garros a tournament that he has won on 14 different occasions.

That achievement could be one of Nadal’s greatest ever titles considering the Spaniard’s current physical state.

Last week, Nadal said farewell to Barcelona with a second round defeat to Alex De Minaur after a win over Flavio Cobolli in the opening round.

Once again in Madrid Nadal could face Alex De Minaur in the second round should the former world number one defeat 16 year-old Darwin Blanch.

Speaking ahead of the tournament in Madrid Nadal made a big warning explaining that participation at Roland Garros is by no means guaranteed, “If I arrive Paris the way I feel today, I will not play,” Nadal was quoted by tennisuptodate.com as saying.

“I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive. If I can play, I play. If I can’t play, I can’t. It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I still got goals after Roland Garros, like the Olympics.”

This is a huge statement by Nadal as he is prioritising sustainability as opposed to a fairytale farewell.

Before Nadal can think about a 15th Roland Garros title, the Spaniard will look to claim another title at the Caja Magica.

Ahead of his bid for a sixth title in the Spanish capital Nadal admits he isn’t 100% fit and is taking it one match at a time, “I don’t think I will be able to play at 100%, but it means a lot to me to play in Madrid for one last time in my career. It’s a special place and court for me,” Nadal explained.

“I’m a calm person. Nobody has to ask me about tributes. They will do what they wanna do and I’m okay with that.”

Nadal will begin his Mutua Madrid Open campaign on Thursday.

Rafael Nadal has eased speculation that he might be retiring from the sport soon after signing on to play in the Laver Cup later this year. 

The 22-time Grand Slam champion is the latest player to join the line-up for this year’s team competition which features Europe taking on the rest of the world over three days. It will be Nadal’s fourth appearance in the competition and his first since 2022. He competed in the inaugural edition of the event back in 2017 alongside co-founder Roger Federer. 

“I am very happy to be playing Laver Cup in Berlin for Team Europe,” Nadal said in a press release. “I have some really special memories from my Laver Cup experiences, including all the emotions from London two years ago playing alongside Roger for the last time.”

Nadal’s decision to play comes amid questions about his future in the sport. The former world No.1 has previously indicated that this year could be his last on the Tour but he has stated that no decision has been made. In recent months he has been sidelined from action due to injury setbacks and has only been able to play in two tournaments so far this year. 

“At this stage in my career I really want to go out there and make the most of every opportunity I am given,” he explains.
“Teaming up is always an incredible experience and I have always enjoyed it, the competition is different and exciting. I’m looking forward to going to Berlin and helping Team Europe win back the Laver Cup.”

Other European players confirmed to be playing are Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. Meanwhile, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul have agreed to play for Team World. This year’s event will be held in Belin at the Uber Arena between September 20-22. 

The Laver Cup was inspired by golf’s Ryder Cup. It was co-founded by Federer’s Team8 management company (which he formed with agent Tony Godsick), businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia. In 2019 it became an official ATP sanction event and now has a place on the official calendar. 

Nadal is set to return to competitive action at the Madrid Masters which he has won on five previous occasions. He has been drawn to play teenage wild card Darwin Blanch in the first round. If he wins, Nadal will then play Alex de Minaur who knocked him out of the Barcelona Open last week. 

Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the Masters 1000 event in Madrid as he aims for quality over quantity in his bid for Roland Garros glory.

The world number one has had a rough start to the season by his standards as he is yet to win a title this season after a semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open.

Djokovic was hoping a change of surface would bring a change of fortunes but the Serb was defeated in three sets in the semi-finals of Monte-Carlo.

Now it seems that result has made Djokovic rethink his schedule as the current Roland Garros champion has withdrawn from Madrid.

No official reason has been given although the news seems to be not that surprising given Djokovic’s history in the Spanish capital.

The Serb hasn’t played since 2022, where he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, and has now won the title there for five years.

It looks like Djokovic will be putting his faith into more favourable conditions in Rome, which is the most similar to Roland Garros in terms of conditions.

Djokovic is a six-time champion in the Italian capital and will aim for a seventh title when he plays there on the 8th of May.