“Hard to play without being competitive”: before Roland-Garros, Rafael Nadal does not rule out a package

It would break his heart, but Rafael Nadal could give up participating one last time at Roland-Garros. In an interview with the show Stade 2, on the France 2 channel, the Spaniard confided that he preferred not to play in the Grand Slam tournament rather than going there without being competitive.

“If I can’t play at Roland Garros, it will be very hard, that’s for sure. But personally, with all the emotions I experienced there, I think it would be even harder for me to play without being competitive. I don’t want to feel at Roland Garros like I felt in Madrid or Barcelona, ​​without being able to really fight. »

Rafael Nadal, hampered by his physical problems in recent years, is painfully trying to return to the circuit, in order to afford the end of his career on the courts. But he is struggling to regain his former level. This Saturday at the Masters 1000 in Rome, he was eliminated in the second round by the Pole Hubert Hurkacz, without ever managing to compete.

“I don’t know if that’s what being competitive is all about,” the Majorcan continued on France 2. “I think it’s going to play the tournament thinking that I can be at the maximum, 100%. And if 100% is not enough even to win a single match, we will have to accept it. But I don’t want to walk onto the court knowing I have no options. If there is a slight possibility of winning, I want to try it, I want to try. But if there’s really no chance, no, I’d rather stick with other memories. »

After his defeat at the Masters 1000 in Rome, Rafael Nadal confided in a press conference that he was closer to participating in Roland-Garros than giving up.