NEW DELHI: Rafael Nadal mentioned on Saturday that it is likely he is making his final appearance at the French Open, though he cautioned that it is "not 100% certain".
"There is a good chance that it will be my last French Open, but I cannot say that I am 100% certain it will be the last," said the Spaniard.
Nadal, a 14-time French Open champion who will turn 38 on June 3, is set to face world number four Alexander Zverev in the first round in Paris on Monday.
Since his title-winning debut at 19 in 2005, the Spanish legend has amassed 112 wins in 115 matches at the tournament.
With 22 Grand Slam titles - second only to Novak Djokovic's 24 on the all-time men's list - Nadal's career has been marred by injuries.
He has participated in just four tournaments since January of last year due to a hip injury and a subsequent muscle tear.
As a result, his ranking has slumped to 276 in the world and comes into the French Open unseeded.
"I have gone through a long recovery process. Now I'm better than a month ago. So in a way I don't want to close the door 100%," added Nadal.
"I love tennis, I travel with my family and we are all happy."
Nadal had to sit out the 2023 French Open through injury.
The year before he won his 14th title but revealed that he could only play with daily pain-killing injections in his feet.
"Give me a little time and maybe within a month I'll say I'm stopping," he added.
Nadal arrives in Paris having yet to make a clay-court quarter-final this season. In Rome, he was defeated in the second round.
"I feel competitive in training. Maybe not in an official match, but when I enter the court, I feel like I can beat anyone," he said.
(With AFP inputs)The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the ...
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