Rafael Nadal said he would like to continue playing long enough for his son to remember him on court. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion admits that time is not on his side, reports Reuters, according to News.ro.
The 37-year-old Spaniard, who has said he expects to retire after the 2024 season, returned to competition in Brisbane in January after nearly a year out with a hip injury.
He was then sidelined for another period with a thigh problem and although he returned last week in Barcelona, he says he is far from top form and does not know if he will play at Roland Garros next month.
Nadal defeated Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 in the first round of the Madrid Open on Thursday as his wife and their one-year-old son, Rafael Jr., watched.
“Well, I’d like to play a little bit longer and give him a memory of me playing tennis,” Nadal said of playing in front of his son.
“This will be the ideal thing for me, my wife and my family. I probably won’t be able to make it happen. But at least I’m happy that I had a great team around me and family and friends throughout my life who helped me in every way to be happy.”
Nadal, a five-time champion in Madrid, is set to face No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia on Saturday.
