Nadal’s uncle casts doubt on retirement plan as Djokovic eyes Wimbledon glory

Rafael Nadal set for 2024 farewell after pulling out of French Open

Rafael Nadal’s uncle, Toni, has hinted that the 22-time Grand Slam champion could scrap plans to retire next year if he makes a strong recovery from his injury troubles. Nadal has been out of competitive action since January, with a crippling hip issue forcing him to watch from afar as Novak Djokovic bids for another major title at Wimbledon.

Nadal offered tennis fans a glimpse into the finer details of his situation when he called a press conference back in May. While addressing the media, the 37-year-old conceded that he would not be in a position to fight for the top prize at the French Open.

Djokovic won it in his absence, putting him alone at the top of the all-time men’s Grand Slam charts. And Nadal went on to clarify that he was prepared to scrap this season in preparation for 2024, which he believes will ‘probably be his last year on tour’.

“My idea, my motivation is try to say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me in my career and just enjoy being competitive and enjoy being on court,” he added.

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With Nadal continuing to recover behind the scenes, his close relative, affectionately known as ‘Uncle Toni’, claims that a strong recovery could see those retirement plans tossed aside. “Rafael is already 37 years old, the years weigh heavily,” he told Clay.

“What I know, because I talked to him, is that Rafael wants to come back, he wants to recover well. And if he recovers well I think he will want to continue.

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“Then we’ll see because he has to get the results, which won’t be easy, because when you lose the ranking it’s more difficult because you have to compete with the best faster. Then you have to have more good days and you have to play hard matches more times. Let’s see.”

Nadal may be given an extra incentive to prolong his tennis comeback if Djokovic powers all the way to Wimbledon glory this year. The Serb is into the quarter-finals at SW19, having gone undefeated on Centre Court for over a decade.

With a heavyweight clash against seventh seed Andrey Rublev scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Djokovic could book his spot in the last four, edging him closer to a possible final with world No 1 and top seed Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic has taken several big scalps at the All England Club this year, including three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka and grass-court specialist Hubert Hurkacz.

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