Will we remember Rafael Nadal’s last dance fondly?

As we make our way toward the 2024 season—which begins Friday, December 29 with the United Cup—our writers and editors tackle the most important questions of the new year.

First question, as Rafa prepares to see goodbye to the game: Will we remember Rafael Nadal’s last dance fondly?

STEPHANIE LIVAUDAIS: So much of Nadal’s career has been marked by “what might have been”—regarding injuries and his physical condition, thanks in part to a congenital birth defect in his foot, and a highly physical playing style that overpowered opponents.

That question is even more gutting now, especially considering how strong the Spaniard looked during the first half of 2022. Back then, the idea of retirement still loomed, but it seemed so far away when Nadal was lifting his second Australian Open trophy and a then-record 22nd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

Now, tennis fans are just hoping that Nadal can say goodbye to the game on his own terms, after he spent most of 2023 out with an injury and recovering from surgery.

He will have two shots at Roland Garros glory: First at the Grand Slam tournament, and then during the Olympic Games in Paris. If this is indeed Rafa's final season, he will likely be judged based on his performances at these two events, which will take place on his beloved terre battue and where has set himself apart the most over the course of his career.

But it seems almost cruel to hold him to this standard now, when the 37-year-old recently revealed that he’s not even sure if he will make it to a full farewell season, or if he’ll have to pull the plug halfway through.

While we’ll remember Nadal himself fondly, it will likely be a bittersweet and, at times, painful-to-watch last dance for one of the game’s greats.

JON LEVEY: For sure (fingers crossed). Has there ever been a tennis player—or any pro athlete, for that matter—who bounces back better from major injury than Nadal? He’s like Wolverine.

Now 37 and having been off the tour for nearly a year, he’s calling this latest surgery and recovery “unexplored terrain.” But we’ve seen this movie before. Chronic foot or knee problems have sidelined him for significant time in the past, and he often returns like it was just a two-week recharge. Nadal missed the back half of 2021, then showed up in Australia the following January and was the last man standing in Melbourne.

It’s possible this hip injury is a different animal and he can’t recapture his usual tenacious form as rapidly. It could take until his beloved Roland Garros clay before his muscle memory fully kicks his game into gear. It’s even conceivable he never gets there at all. But what fun it will be to see the Spanish Bull take a final charge at the top of game, and hopefully lock horns one more time with Novak Djokovic with a title on the line. Regardless of results, just the fact that tennis fans can partake in Rafa’s victory lap—something they never got to do with Roger Federer—is a major win.

Regardless of results, just the fact that tennis fans can partake in Rafa’s victory lap—something they never got to do with Roger Federer—is a major win.

JOEL DRUCKER: Of course, we should remember Nadal’s last dance fondly. Whether Rafa's final moment is a glorious run at a major such as his beloved Roland Garros, or—as is usually the case even for multi-Slam winners—one last defeat, Nadal is as endearing, admirable and resilient a competitor as tennis has ever seen. It’s a legacy that will echo loudly forever.

Now comes the final act from a man who has made more comebacks than any champion in tennis history. As far back as age 19, a foot injury threatened to end Nadal’s career. Since then, many more injuries have sidelined him. Again and again, Rafa has shown us the ways tennis mirrors life: desires, struggles, setbacks, comebacks, struggles, triumphs, struggles, comebacks, setbacks, comebacks.

One notable nugget: Nadal is one of only three men to have won Grand Slam singles titles in his teens, 20s and 30s. The other two are his fellow titans, Ken Rosewall and Pete Sampras. That is a rare and powerful demonstration of wire-to-wire commitment and excellence. If one measure of being a champion is leaving blood on the court, then Nadal is unsurpassed. Our own respective journeys should be marked by such effort. So savor the last Nadal moment and let it be what it will be.

Tuesday's question: How will new mom, and four-time Grand Slam champion, Naomi Osaka fare in her return?