Rafael Nadal made it clear that his career wasn’t over despite playing his final match at the Madrid Open. The 37-year-old was emotional as he departed the Manolo Santana Stadium but explained that he didn’t want to cry because he wasn’t retiring yet. Nadal has admitted on multiple occasions that 2024 could be his last year on tour.
Nadal’s heroic run at the Madrid Open came to an end in the round of 16 as he suffered a 7-5 6-4 defeat to No. 30 seed Jiri Lehecka. It was an emotional night as the five-time champion was honoured with a special ceremony and addressed the crowd, telling them that the “gift” they had given him was “perhaps more important than any Grand Slam”.
The Spaniard’s family were in tears as they watched on but Nadal refused to cry despite getting emotional. After departing the court for the final time in Madrid, Nadal explained that he wanted to hold it together with the view of continuing his career.
“I tried not to look at them because I didn’t want to cry,” the 22-time Major winner told Tennis TV. “For me, even if it’s an emotional day, it’s not my last match. I’m not retiring yet so saying goodbye from a very special place for me and things need to keep going for me.”
While there has been plenty of speculation as to whether Nadal would end his career during the French Open or another tournament on his favourite surface, he hinted that he was already looking at playing beyond the clay swing. The 37-year-old continued: “So I don’t know when is going to be my last match but I don’t want to become too emotional because I want to keep going for a while and just trying to keep focus on my path.
“So today it’s a night that’s going to stay in my heart forever but at the same time I try to be strong enough to keep going because it’s not yet enough.” In the short-term, Nadal plans to compete in the upcoming Rome Masters if he doesn’t face any sudden setbacks.
Later in the night, the five-time Madrid Open champion said: “I’m going try to play in Rome. That’s another very special tournament in my career, no? I think, I don’t know, I won 10? Yeah, 10. So, yeah, a lot of emotions there too.”
After missing the Monte-Carlo Masters at the start of the clay season, Nadal is now keen to explore how far he can go following his promising run in Madrid. “So I want to go there. I’m gonna try. And I want to play well there. I want to be competitive. I want to give myself a chance to play good tennis, and I’m gonna keep working hard to try to make that happen,” he added.
“Today is an emotional day, of course. Today is unforgettable day in terms of saying, Good-bye, Madrid. That is one of the places or even probably the place that I received more love and support during all these years. But my career keep going, and I have my personal goals that I have got in the next couple of weeks, and I want to explore if I have any chance to achieve that.”
