Rafael Nadal: “Don’t assume that” this is my last Roland Garros—though there’s “a big, big chance” it could be

PARIS—Like his practice session hours earlier, Rafael Nadal’s pre-tournament press conference was filled to capacity. Onlookers spilled into whatever space was available, like rushing water to a dry surface. Each of the Spaniard’s movements were captured for posterity, the interview transcriber typing as fast as phone-wielding fans were clicking. Crowd control was admirable but futile.

Such is the scene at this particular Roland Garros, with this particular player. The tournament’s greatest champion, 14 times over, has a court named after him in Barcelona, Spain, and a statue of his likeness here, in France—Rafa is the Pyrenees of tennis. Like that mountain range’s 270-mile span, his excellence has stretched farther than most conceived, while towering over most everything nearby.

For Rafa, winning one Coupe des Mousquetaires was not enough, let alone once his haul hit double digits. So it made sense that, despite the farewell vibes and paeans of thanks that have come Nadal’s way throughout 2024, he wasn’t declaring anything final when asked about his future.

“Don’t assume that,” Nadal said about whether this Roland Garros will definitely be his last. “It’s a big, big chance that going to be my last Roland Garros, but if I have to tell you it’s 100 percent my last Roland Garros, sorry, but I will not, because I cannot predict what’s going on. I hope you understand.”

Nadal offered three reasons for his answer: he still enjoys the sport, he’s traveling with his family, and he hasn’t yet seen how he can compete in “more or less healthy conditions, playing without limitation.”

“So give me some time,” asked Rafa. “Maybe in one month and a half I say, okay, it’s enough, I can’t keep going, but today in some way I cannot guarantee that that's going to be the last one.

“But of course it's a big chance.”

Nadal’s exit may yet be tennis’ worst-kept secret—or, like fellow GOAT contender Tom Brady, he may be stringing us along, like he’s done to so many opponents. (Don’t hold your breath for a Rafa roast on Netflix, though.)

Nadal’s practice session took place on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, rather than the venue he’ll undoubtedly take to Monday when he faces Alexander Zverev, Court Philippe-Chatrier. It may have been, for all we know, the last time he struck a ball in Paris’ second show court.

If it was, Rafa left it all out there, engaging 13^th-ranked Holger Rune in rallies with his sleeveless shirt adhering to him like a magnet. Drenched in sweat, Nadal chirped back at his coaching team, including former champion Carlos Moya, when he felt it necessary. It looked, in some ways, like an actual match, with “Rafa! Rafa!” chants cascading from the crowd, which cheered any Nadal winner and lamented his misses.

“I am feeling competitive on the practices,” Nadal said with a smile. “Probably not yet on the professional matches. But yeah, on the practices, I can tell you, I am able to play almost against anyone.

With a laugh, he added: “And I don't feel much worse than the others, so that's give me some hope.”

If Saturday’s scenes were any indication, Monday should be a moment we’ll hardly forget at Roland Garros, particularly given Nadal’s challenge. Rafa never mentioned Zverev by name, but called him one of the “toughest opponents possible.”

The German found out about the collision after a practice; Nadal found out after playing Parchís, the ubiquitous Spanish board game. His reaction?

“I mean, something that I expected in some way, no? When you are not seeded, anything can happen.”

“And you never know what's lucky or unlucky.”

A few days ago, Nadal practiced against 28^th-ranked Sebastian Korda. It wasn’t the 23-year-old’s first time opposing Rafa at Roland Garros; during the 2020 tournament, the American made a surprising fourth-round run—before winning just four games against the terre battue titan.

“He was always my dream match-up, in a way, was to play him here in Chatrier,” Korda told me on Saturday. “The intensity that he brings every day is unmatched.”

That is all we can say for sure about Nadal’s immediate and long-term future: however long it lasts, it will be intense. His practices will be that way. The crowds that watch him will be passionate and partisan. His press conferences, like today’s, won’t be filled with platitudes, but rather deep dives into his soul.

“It’s a super-tough first round,” said Nadal. “Maybe I go there and I repeat the disaster of Rome (where he won just four games against Hubert Hurkacz). It’s a possibility, of course. I don’t want to hide that.

“I mean, I didn’t play five-set matches since super long time ago. I didn’t play at this level of opponents being competitive since a super-long time ago. So all these questions that I understand that you are making to me, I am asking to myself, too.

“But the answer gonna be on Monday, no?”

Oui.