Iga Swiatek is urging people to let Rafael Nadal decide what he wants to do with his retirement as the Pole thinks the Spaniard knowing this is probably his last year is already very difficult mentally.
This week, Nadal kicked off what will likely be his last Madrid campaign. On Nadal demolished Darwin Blanch 6-1 6-0 and he will face next Alex de Minaur. When Nadal and de Minaur meet, it will be a rematch of last week’s Barcelona second-round match, which the Australian won 7-5 6-1.
For now, Nadal’s schedule remains Madrid, Rome, the French Open and the Olympic Games. All of those four events are clay tournaments and some think this may be Nadal’s farewell.
“I just want people to take it easy and let him do it his way. People expect him to do something spectacular, but honestly, Rafa has to take care of himself and I hope he does,” Swiatek said.
“I don’t want to talk about whether this will be Nadal’s last match or tournament because it’s his decision and it’s been hard for him. It’s very professional, but I don’t know how my brain would respond to knowing that I’m playing my last match.”
Iga Swiatek and Rafael Nadal © Getty Images Sport – Jamie Squire
What Nadal said about his retirement after his opening match?
After ousting Blanch in his Madrid opener, 37-year-old Nadal admitted that retiring from pro tennis isn’t his preferred option as he would like to have his son old enough to remember him playing.
“I would love to play a little bit longer and give him (my son) a memory of myself playing tennis. That’s what will be the ideal thing for me and for my wife and family. But I can’t, probably I will not be able to make that happen,” Nadal said.
“But at least, I mean, happy to have a great team and family and friends around me almost all my life. It helped me in every single way of being happy.”
Rafael Nadal © Getty Images Sport – Clive Brunskill
If Nadal beats de Minaur today in the Madrid second round, it would certainly be a huge win considering the current circumstances.
Also, it will be interesting to see if Nadal makes any new statements or hints about his retirement after the match.
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