Itan Dahan 05/18/2023 16:14
The end is near. For the first time since 2005 and after 18 consecutive tournaments in which he took part, today it became known that Rafael Nadalthe undisputed king of clay, will not take part in his home tournament, one might say, Roland Garros, which the Spaniard won no less than 14 times during his glorious career.
As mentioned, the 36-year-old king of clay, who seems to be taking giant steps towards retirement, was unable to recover from the hip injury he sustained during the Australian Championship in January and as a result will miss the tournament he loves so much and has won far more than anyone in the history of tennis.
“If I continue playing right now, I think I won’t be able to be there next year,” Nadal said at the special press conference he called, “my intention is that next year will be my last and to say goodbye to the tournament that symbolized me the most, I will have to rest.”
“Even though the victories covered it up, the last few years have been difficult” Nadal continued, “Now I’m going to try to rehabilitate my body. I’m not going to set a date for the return, when it’s ready, I’ll be there. The Davis Cup later this year could be a goal.”
Novak Djokovic could be the biggest beneficiary of the situation, since at this point he and the Spaniard are tied for 22nd in the major titles and with his win here he will overtake his great rival for the first time and rise to the top of the Grand Slam titles after closing a huge gap from the Mallorcan bull.
