A few days ago, the news came that Rafael Nadal will not participate in the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup. The prestigious event founded by Roger Federer and his manager will take place in less than a week in Berlin and the Spanish legend was one of the main attractions, if not the main attraction. Fans and insiders know that Rafa’s career is nearing its end and were ready to admire his exploits in an event highly appreciated by players.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has some great memories of the Laver Cup, where he played a legendary double with Federer and paid a splendid tribute to his eternal rival on the occasion of his two-year retirement. Roger and Rafa’s tears went around the world and the O2 Arena in London turned into an exciting long for a memorable evening.
Nadal is expected to play the ‘Six Kings Slam’ next month, an event that will be held in Saudi Arabia and which will offer a lot of prize money. At this point, it is not to be excluded that the season of Rafa is already over. Alternatively, the former world number 1 could be called upon by David Ferrer for the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November.
Alex Corretja on Rafa
Rafa’s decision not to participate in the Laver Cup has worried his many fans. The Laver Cup is an exhibition where the Spanish ace could only play doubles if he was not ready for the singles. Alex Corretja, former world number 2 and two-time Roland Garros finalist, talks about Rafael Nadal. The 22 times Slam champion, as known, in recent days has also given up on the Laver Cup, a team competition that this year is played in Berlin from 20 to 22 September.
The Spanish tennis player explained that there are no physical problems but he said he does not feel substantially competitive to make his contribution to the Europe team. This decision of Nadal definitely surprised compatriot Corretja who thought that this could be the right opportunity to see Nadal again on the court after the Olympic tournament in which he lost in the second round in singles from Novak Djokovic and was unable to win a medal in doubles with his young compatriot Carlos Alcaraz.
Corretja, who is a current commentator for Eurosport, spoke about Nadal’s foregone place from the competition between tennis players from Europe and the rest of the world and said he was very surprised. ” When I knew he would not play – explained Corretja – it sounded a bit ‘alarm: if he is not ready to participate in the Laver Cup, when will be? Honestly, I was struck by his decision because I thought the Laver Cup was a more relaxed competition, in quotes, even though once they are there, teams always want to win. But you can play single or double, it could be more suitable for any type of commitment. So when I heard he wasn’t going to play, I said if he’s not ready to play in the Laver Cup, when will he be? Hopefully he will recover or when he feels fit again and then go back where he wants”.
Retirement may be imminent
The 14-time French Open champion seems to be at the last step of his career and many are convinced that he will announce his retirement soon. The former world number 1 did not perform well this year and appeared far from his expected level. During a recent interview with RTS, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic paid tribute to Rafa: “Nadal was unbeatable in Paris for a long time, losing only a few times at the Phillipe Chatrier. Every time you step on that court with him, he is the favorite. Even at the Olympic Games, he had injury problems, I was in better shape, but still, you know he is the tallest mountain to climb. He is the greatest, perhaps the only reason why I don’t have more Roland Garros titles. Every victory against him there is worth double.”
