‘End of a Cycle’: Rafael Nadal uncertain about tennis future after Paris Olympics exit

Rafael Nadal is not sure about his tennis after the Paris Olympics exit. Nadal suffered a straight-set loss against Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles event. Subsequently, the Spaniard lost the doubles event with Carlos Alcaraz against the American pair of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram on Wednesday.

Nadalcraz suffered a 2-6, 4-6 loss against the Americans, which ended Nadal’s campaign at the Olympics.

What lies ahead for the 37-year-old veteran, he says he will let the media and the fans know about his future plans.

“This doesn’t affect anything. In the end, my future as a professional depends on my desire and feelings when I have to make a decision or not. For me, a stage has ended; I had set the Olympics as a goal since the beginning of the year.

“Has this cycle ended? I’ll go home, disconnect, and once I have a clear idea of my next stage, whether with a racket in hand or not, I’ll let you know,” Nadal was quoted as saying by BeIN Sports.

“I believe I’ve always put in enough effort to finish this journey with the personal satisfaction of having done everything possible and the peace of mind of having given my all on the court. I’m at peace. When I have clear motivations and desires, or on the contrary, if I don’t feel the motivation and ability to continue, I’ll take another path,” Nadal said.

The veteran admitted he was not good enough at the Olympics as he could not attain high levels of tennis.

“It’s been a fun week, positive in many ways, even if it didn’t end the way I dreamed. But that’s sports, right? In the end, I wasn’t at the level needed to fight for medals individually, and in doubles, I think we played very well. Today, we weren’t sharp. As I’ve said every day, matches go by quickly, and any detail can make a difference; we didn’t start well and couldn’t take the match to the limit,” he remarked.

Speaking on his partnership with rising Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal concluded, “It’s a beautiful memory of playing with a player who is going to be one of the best in history, I have little doubt about that if his body holds up, which ultimately also depends on that. Playing together here, with the atmosphere in every match we’ve played, representing Spain at the Olympics, is a unique and beautiful experience. I’ve enjoyed it as much as I could.”