Rafael Nadal, what future after Roland-Garros? “We’ll see”, answers his clan

Since Rafael Nadal explained before his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic that every time he enters the court in this tournament, he measures that it could be his last match at Roland-Garros, the Spaniard intrigues. Will this 2022 edition mark the end of the earth giant in his garden? Porte d’Auteuil, it’s debatable. It even speculates on occasion. An announcement in the form of a shock on Sunday on the Philippe-Chatrier court in the event of a 14th coronation? We are not there.

On Thursday, Francisco Roig, one of his three coaches, along with Carlos Moya and Marc Lopez, tempered all of this. “I would say that he is trying to play this Roland-Garros and then we will seehe explained at the microphone of RTVE radio. We’re not talking about retirement, but about trying to find something for his foot that might make things better. Probably not solve the problem definitively, but we are looking for a solution so that he can play with less pain.”

But Rafael Nadal also warned: his life expectancy as a champion will also depend on the improvement, or lack of improvement, of his bruised left foot. “I don’t know what can happenhe admits. I wanted to play this tournament, we did everything for it, but I don’t know what will happen after Roland-Garros. I have what I have on my feet, so if we can’t find a small solution, then it will become super difficult for me. It’s like that. I enjoy every day that I spend here. For the rest, I will continue to fight to find a solution. But at the moment we don’t have any. I’m too old to hide things.”

The Nadal clan and the champion himself are therefore not yet to throw in the towel, but to find a way that the Mallorcan can stay in the ring as long as possible. Everything will therefore depend on the evolution of this famous left foot. But it is possible, not to say probable, that if the situation does not improve significantly, the record holder of Grand Slam victories will not continue his career in these conditions.