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.
