Rafael Nadal revealed he is unlikely to play the US Open as he dropped his strongest hint yet that his career could very soon be at an end.
Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s crowd-pleasing run in the men’s doubles at the Olympics came to an end with a 6-2 6-4 loss to American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
The 14-time French Open champion gave a lingering wave to all sides of Court Philippe Chatrier, but it seems very likely not to be just Roland Garros that does not see Nadal on court again.
Asked whether he would head to the United States, where events building up to the US Open are already under way, the 38-year-old said: “It looks like not but I’m going to let you know soon. For me now, I can’t give you a clear answer, I need some time. But for me it looks difficult.”
Answering a question about his relationship with Alcaraz, meanwhile, Nadal cast even more doubt on his future.
“If my age will be 10 years less, we’re going to create a beautiful relationship on court and we’re going to share a lot of beautiful moments together,” he said.
“But that’s not going to happen. We’ll see if I keep playing the normal tour. But of course I will be supporting him from home and wishing him all the very best every single time. Even if I keep playing or not, I love tennis.”
Nadal has signed up for the Laver Cup in Berlin in September and, two years after Roger Federer bade farewell at the Ryder Cup-style event, there is a possibility his great rival may follow suit.
He had hoped to sign off his Olympics career with a third medal having previously won gold in singles and doubles, but a passionate crowd were unable to get him and Alcaraz over the line against a quality doubles team.
“It was disappointing to not bring back a medal for Spain but that’s it,” said Nadal. “I tried my best in every single minute that I was on court, but it was not enough to achieve our goals.
“If that’s the last time, it’s an unforgettable feeling and emotions. They give me the love and the support every single second that I have been on court. It’s super, super special to feel that in particular in this place.
“At this stage of my career, I play for feelings, I play for emotions more than for results.
“I won enough in my career, much more than what I ever dreamed. For me, it’s about enjoying different experiences, and that’s another lifetime experience, to share with Carlos, an amazing player who I think is going to be of course one of the best of the history of this sport.”
Alcaraz, whose inexperience in doubles was exposed, relished the opportunity to take to the court with Nadal.
“It was an unbelievable experience for me, something that I will never forget,” he said. “Playing the same side of the net with Rafa and learning from him so close has been great for me.
“I tried to enjoy every single second. I’m a little bit disappointed right now, obviously we wanted to keep going. Here we could spend more time and talk so much about life, and that’s what I’m going to keep for me.”
Alcaraz stayed on course for a gold-medal clash with Novak Djokovic in singles earlier after both reached the quarter-finals.
Djokovic next faces eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, while Alcaraz will play American Tommy Paul in a rematch of their Wimbledon quarter-final.
Andy Murray may be clinging on but it was the end of the road for another retiring three-time grand slam champion, with Angelique Kerber suffering a heartbreaking 6-7 (4) 6-4 7-6 (6) loss to China’s Zheng Qinwen in the quarter-finals of the women’s singles.
Zheng is now guaranteed a shot at a medal, as is Slovakia’s Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova, the most surprising success story here.
The 29-year-old is ranked 67th in the world but followed her upset of Wimbledon finalist Jasmine Paolini by taking out SW19 champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-4 6-2.
Far less surprising is the presence in the last four of top seed Iga Swiatek, who made it 25 consecutive wins on the Paris clay, although she was given a test by Danielle Collins before the American pulled out injured trailing 6-1 2-6 4-1.