Rafa Nadal returns to the courts in a friendly against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas, even with the unknown of how much longer he will be able to continue on the circuit
There is indisputable wisdom in Rafa Nadal’s speech. He weaves ideas calmly and with the certainty of knowing that at this point in his life he has little to lose on a tennis court. He doesn’t even bother with the uncomfortable question of his future retirement at 37 years old. He gives the impression that the journalists are the uncomfortable ones having to do it, almost obligatorily. That’s why he doesn’t even bullfight her. He honestly says that this may be his last year. “I haven’t decided 100%,” she tells EL MUNDO in a meeting with journalists in Las Vegas, but what he is clear about is has not lost the illusion to continue. He wants to see how far his body can take him.
At the moment he has achieved his first goal: playing an exhibition match against the number two in the world, Carlos Alcaraz from Murcia, at the Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Netflix will broadcast it live starting at 9:30 pm Spanish time, a platform that has strongly joined sporting events. The meeting will serve as preparation for Indian Wells, the Californian Masters 1,000 that starts next week and of which Nadal hopes to “come out unscathed”. That’s what he settles for. “From there it will be time to leave everything in the gravel season, which may be the last.” He says that “at the moment” everything seems to indicate that it will be like this. “Things are going that way.”
The Manacorí has no other expectations in Indian Wells than to pick up the pace. “I haven’t played a set since Brisbane,” where he was injured against Australian Jordan Thompson. “For me the most important thing is not how I am but where I am. If I am here it is good news. My objectivebeing totally realistic, it was play Las Vegas and Indian Wells. And I’m closer to getting it.”
He does make it clear that he is not “making any goodbyes because if I did I would say I’m not playing anymore.” He explains that he doesn’t want to announce it officially “because nOr am I one hundred percent clear?but the reality is that in the last two years I have been able to play zero. “Life shows you the path.”
The winner of 14 Roland Garros cannot imagine his farewell, but his desire is to “say goodbye well, playing, being competitive and playing on the court. Whether it will be or not, only time will tell. It is a process of personal acceptance of the things. It’s hard to handle. I’m going to give myself a chance to enjoy myself a little more.”
In front of him, for his return to the courts, even if it is in a friendly, he will have an Alcaraz that has not won a tournament since Wimbledon. However, he feels that he is picking up the pace again. “The American tour I did after Wimbledon wasn’t bad at all. The thing is that “People think that if you don’t win titles it’s bad, and that’s not the case.”explains the Murcian. “I made a few quarterfinals of a Masters 1000, the final in Cincinnati with Djokovic and the semifinals of the US Open. What can be improved is starting in September. Not lowering the level and concentration like I did. I have talked about it, “Juan Carlos has talked about it and we have also dealt with it internally.”
He says he feels fine about the ankle, after being injured in the Rio de Janeiro tournament. “The time has been short. I have worked every day since I had it done to arrive prepared for the Netflix game. The sensations have been improving and I feel good.”
The match, dubbed the Netflix Slam, is the first friendly between the two and their fourth clash in total -Nadal dominates the series by two to one-, a spectacle on par with Las Vegas where they are paying an average of 464 dollars per seat, according to the Vivid Beats portal, and where there will be an important list of well-known faces, among them André Agassi, Pau Gasol – Nadal’s personal friend -, David Ferrer, Feliciano López or the actress Blanca Suárez.
2024-03-03 07:50:53
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