Roger Federer may have inadvertently given insight into Rafael Nadal’s tennis playing future after he made some interesting remarks about the Spaniard during an interview.
Just a day after Nadal himself again addressed speculation about his future, Federer opened up about his long-term tennis rival’s current state of mind.
Having opted to skip this year’s US Open, Nadal appeared on Spain’s El Hormiguero on Monday and gave an update as he once again suggested he will continue to play if he is healthy.
“What I have done during all this time is to give myself a margin, to give myself the option to enjoy again, to play tennis after a year and a half away from the courts. And that’s what I’m doing, trying to enjoy every day, trying to do my best every day,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said.
Federer then appeared on NBC’s Today Show with Savannah Guthrie and blurted out that he recently had a “chat” with the 38-year-old and the Swiss’ comments may have deeper meaning.
The pair spoke about Nadal’s recent on-court struggles as he lost early at the French Open and Paris Olympics.
“I actually just spoke to him this last week. He wanted to ask me something, and we had a chat, and, I felt a little bit sorry for him,” the 20-time major champion explained.
“That his summer didn’t go as well as planned because, at the French Open he had a tough draw. Olympics, he had a tough draw as well. He was hoping, I think, to get a medal.”
And Federer then went further as he hinted that Nadal may well be ready to call it a day, saying “I just hope he can go out on his terms”.
“But you know, overall he can do whatever he wants,” the former world No 1 continued. “He’s been one of the most iconic tennis players we have ever had in our sport and that’s what I told him. So I just hope he can go out on his terms and the way he wants to, but he’s a great guy, great career.”
Nadal announced last year that the 2024 tennis season would likely be his last as a provisional, but he has made a lot of conflicting comments in recent months.
After waving goodbye to fans at the Madrid Open in April as he revealed he made his last appearance at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, he then refused to confirm or deny in Rome and Roland Garros that he would not be returning.
Following his early exit from the Paris Olympics where he lost in the second round against Novak Djokovic, Nadal lost his cool when reporters asked him about his future.
“You want me to retire every day guys, you ask me for that,” he lamented. “I am trying to do my best. I cannot live every single day with the feeling that it’s going to be or not going to be my last match.”
But the big “R-Day” may well be a lot closer.
