“I couldn’t train and didn’t have fun anymore” | Relief

For Rafa Nadal, these are days of a certain calm. On June 13, Manacori announced his retirement from Wimbledon to focus on rigorous preparations for the Olympic Games, which will take place on the Balearic Islands’ most iconic court: Philippe Chatrier in Paris. Something that he had already abandoned after his departure to Roland Garros, and which now only confirmed what was an open secret.

As the Olympic competition approaches, The winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments continues to prepare by listening to his body and regaining his competitive sense. to prove to himself that he can continue to “fight” anyone on the tennis court. Something that was not always the case and that made him think about retiring, as he admitted in an interview with the publication L’Equipe during the opening of the hotel in Tossa de Mar.

Nadal is sincere and does not hide that the idea of ​​retiring came to his mind in 2023, when he had to deal with a physique that seemed to say enough: “Yes, sure. On many occasions I had recurring problems, couldn’t train and no longer had fun. When you don’t enjoy it, when you’re too limited physically, it loses all its meaning. Everything. And even more so when you are almost 38 years old, when you have a family and after the career that I had. But there were always people around me who helped me, be it my family or my team. And I’ve always been able to keep my head calm.”

Some statements confirm what his coach Carlos Moya said a few weeks ago in the same French newspaper. “Yes, he said this many times… In training, when the pain returned, when he couldn’t play in Indian Wells, when he couldn’t go to Monte Carlo… That’s why we also go to Barcelona, ​​Although we know that we can’t. He’s ready. We just wanted him to be seen on the track, so that there was hope of going to Roland Garros. But there were many moments when he said: “I can’t take this anymore.”said the former number one and 1998 Roland Garros champion.

However Rafa fought against his body and above all against his head and proved to himself that he can still play. He took the racket in his hands and returned to the central court of Paris… due to bad luck to meet Alexander Zverev in the first round of Roland Garros. “The draw was bad. I didn’t know how everything would be. I came with doubts because it was a disaster in Rome. I knew things would be different because I was much better prepared, but Everything went wrong for me: the draw, the playing conditions inside… Zverev is a great player, he reached the final. I would need a Zverev who is a little less good. and I, for my part, did not take advantage of the opportunities available to me to change the situation.

The feelings he experienced during Roland Garros and those he had accumulated from previous tournaments made Rafa reconsider his retirement, and after making it clear that this could be his last year, a date is now no longer set. “I have never made hasty decisions, and this time that will not happen. My feelings over the past few weeks have made me want to explore the situation a little further, to see what might happen. I feel like I’m bringing back the joy of play and fun.

I want to give myself the opportunity to see if my physique remains at this level or if it’s just a fleeting moment and everything starts going wrong again. I’m giving myself time to see how I feel after the Olympics and then we’ll see what happens and what decisions I make. When I have to make a decision, I will make it without problems. “I’ve always said I think this will be my last year, but I can’t be sure because at the end of the day, you don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.”.

The Olympic competition is a big red mark on Manacori’s calendar. A date where he will pair up with Carlos Alcaraz, something that even he himself did not expect. “We didn’t really know if he was going to compete in the Olympics or how he would get there. David Ferrer told me, “If you’re feeling well, Carlos would like to play doubles with you.” Would you dare? Of course I was happy!”

A couple who will have to adapt to playing together. Something that, thanks to ratings, history and quality, would not seem so difficult. But playing doubles is not the same as playing individually. “It’s true, I haven’t played doubles for a long time. Ideally, it would be to play the tournament earlier, but this is not possible. If Carlos is available and I’m physically fit, I think it would be interesting to train together the week before the Olympic tournament. The Olympic Games are a team affair. Doubles are almost as important as singles. “This is an opportunity to try to win a medal.”

Olympic glory would be the greatest reward after a year of trials between injuries and recovery that sapped the spirit of Rafael Nadal, who now looks back on those months with the serenity that time brings. “The last two years have been difficult, I have gone through a lot of difficult moments, especially due to major hip surgery and stomach problems. Not forgetting this injury in Australia. This made me sad. And everything took a little longer. For a long time I didn’t feel ready to train and play the way I wanted to.but recently there has been a positive evolution,” which has now led him to Roland Garros and to thinking about a possible medal in Paris.