Rafael Nadal admits he is struggling with his mental health as his abdominal injury continues to derail his plans for a farewell tour before retirement.
The Spanish tennis legend, who turns 38 in June, has spoken openly about hanging up his racket and 2024 was set to be his final season in the sport.
Nadal has massively struggled to keep fit, though, and has been unable to feature in a competitive match since the Brisbane International back in January.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion, one of the best and most loved tennis players of all time, will be desperate to play the French Open one last time in May.
Nadal, dubbed the ‘King of Clay’, is the most successful player in Roland-Garros history across the men’s singles and is hoping to say goodbye to his fans in Paris.
But Nadal’s participation at his beloved Grand Slam is up in the air after he was recently forced to withdraw from the Monte-Carlo Masters.
It was the third time this year Nadal has failed to make a return to the ATP Tour, with comebacks in Qatar, California and now Monte-Carlo all falling through.
Nadal told Movistar as cited by Sports Central: ‘Many people have mental problems, and I also have them when in my work I can’t manage to fight for my goals. ‘But, no, it’s physical, I have abdominal problems since I returned from Australia. We are trying things. We are going day by day.’
Nadal added: ‘My body won’t let me. It’s getting difficult for me. It’s been a difficult year and a half, I’m trying every day. ‘I have things to solve, and the reality is that at the moment I’m not being able to put myself in a position to compete. It’s hard. ‘On a personal level everything is good; on a professional level, it is difficult, and you also have to weigh the bad moments and those that you would never have imagined experiencing. ‘I don’t rule out anything, not even being in Barcelona or Madrid, but at the moment, I am not being able to get there due to physical problems.’
