Rafael Nadal Has Left The Door Open For This To Be His Last French Open

Is this the last time we’ll have the privilege of seeing Rafael Nadal dominate at the French Open?

On Tuesday afternoon, Nadal once again showed why he’s likely the best clay court player ever, defeating world #1 Novak Djokovic in upset fashion in a four-set thriller.

See more

RAFAEL NADAL, KING OF CLAY 👑🎾

He advances to the French Open semis after defeating Novak Djokovic at #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/EqrlReqmhH

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 31, 2022

While Rafael Nadal is proving he still has plenty of good tennis left, he has hinted that he might opt for retirement sooner rather than later.

When speaking on the idea earlier during the French Open, Nadal hinted at this being his last time at Roland Garros.

“I am in the quarter finals of Roland-Garros,” Nadal said after defeating Auger-Aliassime via Yahoo Sports.

“I am just enjoying the fact I am here for one more year.

Rafael Nadal would later elaborate on his current thought process.

“Being honest, every match that I play here I do not know if it will be the last match here in Roland Garros in my tennis career. That is my situation now. I went through a tough process again with my foot.”

Despite the many fears from fans, Nadal’s Uncle Toni, who served as his coach until 2018, seemed to dispel the retirement rumors.

“It is more logical that it was played during the day but I am confident that this will not be his last Roland Garros,” he said.

Being as Rafael Nadal proved to himself that he can still perform as the very best player on the clay court this afternoon, it seems less likely that he won’t be back for next year’s event.

“I hope to give myself a chance to play at the highest level possible and then let’s see,” Nadal said.

---

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!