The legendary Spanish tennis player Alex Corretja thinks Rafael Nadal’s chances of competing at the US Open in 2024 will be “nearly impossible” following his Olympic experience in Paris.
The two-time runner-up at the French Open believes that Nadal would have to play in Cincinnati before to the US Open and that requesting such a rapid switch to a different surface would be challenging.
Nadal made his third appearance at the Olympics, following Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016, playing in both the singles and doubles categories in Paris in 2024.
In the singles tournament, the Spanish icon fell to his arch-rival and eventual gold medallist Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-4 in the second round.
After two wins, Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s run in the doubles tournament came to an end when they lost 6-2, 6-4 against Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarterfinals.
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While Nadal has registered for the US Open, which takes place from August 26 to September 8, he acknowledged that it was improbable that he would play in Flushing Meadows following his farewell to the Olympics.
The 38-year-old remarked, “I’m going to let you know shortly, but it looks like not.” I need some time to respond to your question clearly, therefore I can’t right now. However, it seemed challenging to me.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner said that, with his tennis career in doubt, he needs more time to choose what his “next step” will be after the Olympics.
Corretja sympathised with Nadal’s difficult dilemma on how long to continue playing the sport he loves in an interview with El Larguero.
“I am aware of every position. However, he also enquired as to what would happen if Rafa stayed for three, four, six, or seven months (in Spanish),” the Spanish speaker remarked.
Do we fear the extinction of a myth? that things would worsen for the Rafa legend? That people would find it regrettable that he didn’t resign when he’s 39?
Or will they just keep in mind everything that Rafa accomplished well? Will our view of him drastically change in around three months?
“I recognise that Rafa has a shared desire to play for as long as possible, and if I announce my retirement, it will be permanent,” the statement reads.
Although the former world No. 2 expressed scepticism about Nadal playing in the US Open, he did hint that he would represent Spain in the Davis Cup later this year.
For the fast court US Open? It is impossible to get there if you haven’t competed on a New York hard court. Will he be returning to Cincinnati with the new surface in ten days? It seems nearly impossible to me,” Corretja said.
He needs to reach a point—perhaps the Laver Cup—where he decides that’s as far as he wants to go and that it’s worth the effort.
What happens if he provides assistance to the Davis Cup team in any capacity? Perhaps pushing himself to play doubles and do something for the team that would have advanced him to the semifinals in September and, should he make it to the championship match, into November.
If not, how do you exercise in Manacor right now while keeping in mind my preparations? That seems to be the issue for me.
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