On the final leg of his South American Tour, Rafael Nadal has told journalists in Mexico that his exhibition match in the country on Thursday will likely be the last time he will play there.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion played in front of 30,000 people at the bullring in Mexico City where he defeated Casper Ruud 7-6(7) 6-4. At the event, which was called The GNP Tennis Fest, there was also a mixed doubles match with Leylah Fernández and Jack Sock facing Santiago Gonzalez and Renata Zarazua.
Shortly before taking to the court, a candid Nadal revealed that there is a strong likelihood that he will not play in Mexico again after ruling himself out of the 2023 Acapulco Open which takes place during the last week of February.
“It will most likely be the last time I play in Mexico, Acapulco 2023 is not on my calendar and the 2024 season seems far away,” Nadal said on Thursday. “Now is the time to enjoy this moment to the fullest and play in an emblematic setting, with many people and in a country where I have always felt loved.”
Nadal is one of only three players to have won the Mexican Open four times during their careers. The others are Thomas Muster and David Ferrer. Nadal first won the tournament back in 2005 which was his first International Golf Series title (now known as ATP 500). He also won the title in 2013, 2020 and 2022.
Whilst it appears that Nadal’s time playing in Mexico is over, he has no plans of retiring from the sport just yet. The 36-year-old heads into the start of the 2023 season looking to defend his title at the Australian Open. Apart from the French Open, he hasn’t won the same major event two years in a row.
“For me the main thing right now is to be able to get to the important tournaments in full physical condition. I continue to enjoy day-by-day and I continue to have goals that excite me at a professional level. I’m going to try to achieve them until my body or mind says enough. At the moment, that hasn’t happened so I want to continue,” Nadal explained.
“I am happy doing what I do, I love competing on the big stages and the love of the people encouraged me to continue,” he added.
Nadal holds the record for most Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player and has won a total of 92 Tour titles so far in his career. Only Ivan Lendl, Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors have won more than him.
The majority of Nadal’s career has been defined by his rivalry with Federer and Novak Djokovic. Between the trio, they have won a staggering 63 major titles and 102 Masters 1000 events. Federer is the first of the trio to have retired from the sport.
Looking ahead to the future, Nadal said he would be open to participating in an exhibition series with his two peers once all of their professional careers have ended.
“We have lived a very nice rivalry and I hope that we can do a joint tour in which we play against each other in places that could not enjoy our history,” he commented.