MADRID – Rafael Nadal said he would love to keep playing long enough for his son to remember him on court, though the 22-time Grand Slam champion concedes time is not on his side.
The 37-year-old Spaniard, who has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season, returned to competition in Brisbane in January after almost a year sidelined with a hip flexor injury.
He was then out for another stretch due to a thigh issue and, while he returned in Barcelona last week, he said he is far from being in top form and does not know if he will play in the French Open in May.
Nadal beat 16-year-old American Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 in the first round of the Madrid Open on April 25, with his wife and one-year-old son Rafael Jr watching on.
“Well, I would love to play a little bit longer and give him a memory of myself playing tennis,” Nadal said of playing in front of his son.
“That’s what will be the ideal thing for me and for my wife and family. Probably I will not be able to make that happen. But at least I’m happy to have a great team and family and friends around me during all my life that helped me in every single way of being happy.”
Nadal, a five-time champion in Madrid, next faces Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur – who defeated him in the second round in Barcelona – on April 27.
The Spaniard also had nothing but gratitude for fans after his straight-set victory.
“For me, it has always been a pleasure to play in front of you all. The support I’ve received here since the first time I played is hard to compare to anywhere else, so I can only say thank you,” said Nadal.
Despite the ease of his victory, Nadal insisted it did not mean anything in terms of his prospects of competing at his beloved Roland Garros, where he is the record 14-time winner.
“I’m a realist, I was playing against a player with good potential but who makes huge amounts of errors. It doesn’t change my perspective on Paris and it will not change here in Madrid, I’ll make a decision after Rome,” he said.
On facing de Minaur again, he added: “Last week, it couldn’t be. But I’m going to have the opportunity to play (again), which is almost a gift, so I’m happy to get on the court again. I will try to be competitive, as much as I can – he is a difficult player playing at a very high level.”
Meanwhile, Nadal’s compatriot Carlos Alcaraz began his quest for a third straight Madrid title with a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing of Alexander Shevchenko.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka shrugged aside recent poor form to edge past Magda Linette 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 on April 26.
Elena Rybakina, last week’s Stuttgart champion, continued her winning ways with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Lucia Bronzetti. REUTERS, AFP
