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Rafael Nadal has provided an update on his retirement from tennis after he and Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock doubles defeat at the Paris Olympics.
The Spanish dream team lost 6-2 6-4 to Team USA’s Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek in the quarter-finals, meaning they’ve missed out on a medal match.
Nadal, 38, is very much edging towards the end of his incredible career, but has recently delayed plans to hang up his racket after signing up for the US Open.
The King of Clay lost his cool with a reporter earlier in the Games when asked about his official retirement, despite being open about those plans in the past.
Nadal is famous for his legacy at the French Open and it was thought that 2024 was his last time playing the Grand Slam before he made somewhat of a U-turn.
Many people want to know if Nadal will return to play the French Open one last time in 2025 and the Spaniard has shared an update about future appearances.
‘If it was my last on this Philippe Chatrier court? Maybe, I don’t know,’ Nadal, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the singles, said in his Olympic press conference.
‘If that’s the case, it will be unforgettable emotions. The public gave me love. The fans supported me in every second of my matches.’
Nadal has also once again lauded his partner Carlos Alcaraz, who remarkably landed a Channel Slam this year by winning Wimbledon and Roland-Garros.
‘We have a very good relationship,’ Nadal added. ‘In Spain we are friendly people, we like to share things together and I am sure that I am going to keep having a very positive relationship with Carlos.
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‘Just simply, we are in a completely different lifetime momentum. That’s the truth… If my age will be 10 years less, we’re going to create a beautiful relationship on tour and we’re going to share a lot of beautiful moments together but that’s not going to happen.
‘But of course I will be supporting him from home and wishing him all the very best every single time and even if I keep playing or not, I love tennis… I will be around less than before.’
Alcaraz, meanwhile, said: ‘It was an unbelievable experience for me. Something I’ll never forget, for sure, playing on the same side of the net as Rafa and learning from him.
‘It has been great for me. I enjoyed it and I tried to enjoy every single second that we played together. I think we’ve played great points, great rallies, great matches.
‘But I’m a little bit disappointed right now… I mean we had the chance to spend time together outside the court here in this tournament. We could spend more time and talk so much about life.
‘That’s what I’m gonna keep for me. Yeah we’re gonna keep this relationship. I think it grew a lot. I learned a lot from him.’
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