Immediately after losing 3-6, 6-7 (5-7), 3-6 to fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the opening round of the French Open, Rafael Nadal admitted the transition from clay to grass and then back to clay in time for the Olympics would be too much for him – and he is therefore likely to skip Wimbledon.
The clay court superstar, who has overcome a host of injuries throughout his career and had to battle more abdominal and hip problems in 2024 alone, compared his body to a jungle and was unable to confirm his future plans – although it seems almost certain he will miss the grass court Slam in SW19 and instead focus on his favoured surface for the Olympics which begin in just two months.
“For me now it looks difficult to make a transition to grass, having the Olympics again on clay. My body has been a jungle for two years. You don’t know what to expect. You know, I wake up one day and I found a snake biting me. Another day a tiger! You know, I have been fighting hard with all the things that I went through. My main goal now is to play the Olympics. That’s going to be here. So I need to prepare myself the proper way to try to arrive here healthy, and well-prepared, and then let’s see.”
Nadal, who came into the tournament ranked 275 and was unseeded for the first time in his Roland Garros career, knew the perils of immediately facing a tougher match-fit opponent: “When you are not seeded, you play against a player who is in great shape and is one of the best players of the world. I had a tough battle out there. And I was ready for a little bit more.”
Nadal had his chances during the match, particularly when serving for the second set and once again when a break up in the third. But he agreed that his overall lack of match-play was not ideal to face an inspired opponent. “When you are not playing tournaments in a row, when you are not playing these kinds of matches since almost two years, it’s normal that your level is not high, because in the end you need to practice this, and the only way to practice this is competing.”
Despite defeat in his favourite tournament, Nadal still found reasons to be positive and felt it was a good week overall: “Without a doubt I felt much better than before. I didn’t feel that limitations. Today in the match the same. I felt I was able to move myself much better than in the previous tournaments. I played at a good level in all ways, comparing to the way that I was playing the weeks before. So : happy for that. Of course, disappointed for losing, but in terms of body feelings, happy that I finish healthy.”
Although Nadal lost in the first round of Roland Garros for the first time in his career, he has accumulated mind-boggling statistics in the French capital over the years. Overall, he has an astonishing 112-4 win-loss match record, a 335-37 set record including dishing out 24 bagels (6-0 sets), and has also set three separate 30+ win streaks: 31 (2005-09), 33 (2017-21), and 39 (2010-15).
The 37 year-old, who was watched on by tennis stars including Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, was happy to accept that he has been a source of inspiration for many players across the globe over the last two decades with his stunning record of 14 titles on the red dirt alone – the same as legend Pete Sampras managed across his whole career on all surfaces. The Spaniard is second on the all-time list with 22 Slams, just behind his great Serbian rival who has two more, and is two clear of retired Swiss maestro Roger Federer with whom he shared many fierce battles.
Nadal was clear when asked what was keeping him competing at this level in spite of his injury difficulties and the driving force behind his motivation to keep going: “I’m a simple guy. I enjoy what I do. You know, I am passionate about sport, I am I am passionate about competition. I like to practice, I like to play tennis. I’m in a different moment of my personal life too, traveling with my son, wife, you know. I am enjoying these moments that will not come back.”
Nadal, who has always been very philosophical throughout his illustrious career managed his emotions admirably in his on-court speech, later admitted to accepting the moment: “If it’s the last time that I played here, I am in peace with myself.”
