2024 was a rather complicated season for Rafael Nadal. Back at the beginning of the year after a year of absence due to the serious injury suffered at the Australian Open 2023, the Spanish champion was once again stopped by a rather serious physical problem again in Australia.
Back on clay-courts, Rafa had some good moments, but also many lows, due to a physical preparation severely conditioned by the physical problems that have afflicted him in the last 18 months. His last match in singles was the 2nd round of Paris Olympics against Novak Djokovic, in what was perhaps the last official challenge between the two rivals.
Nadal has had a rather unusual season, essentially focusing on two major goals: Roland Garros and the 2024 Paris Olympics. These major events have determined the Spanish player’s choices in terms of programming, who has also had to deal with the weight of tiredness due to his inevitably advancing age.
Despite all the effort he has put in on the courts this year, Nadal will not be able to avoid a very negative record, which will not however stain his glorious career: Nadal will end the season without even winning a match in one of the four Slam tournaments. An almost unthinkable data to associate with a great champion like the Spaniard, which has not even happened since 2002. Considering that at that age he was just making his debut on the Tour, this was the first year ever that Nadal has not achieved a success in a match in a Major competition.
At the Australian Open, the 38-year-old suffered a muscle strain after the ATP in Brisbane and was ultimately forced to withdraw. At Roland Garros, however, he showed up prepared and very determined: unfortunately, the draw immediately put him in front of the German Alexander Zverev, seeded number 4 and among the favorites on the eve, and he suffered an early defeat.
Nadal then confirmed his absence from Wimbledon, giving priority to preparation for the Olympics. While the announcement was made in the last few days that he will not participate in the US Open either. Nadal’s short future as a professional tennis player is not yet clear and defined. At the end of Paris, the Spaniard declared that he will indulge in a period of reflection to analyze all the last moments and his next ambitions. The only certainty – currently – is his presence at the Laver Cup 2024, the event in which his Swiss friend Roger Federer decided to say goodbye to tennis forever.
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