Nadal will not compete in the Laver Cup and has no date for his return to the courts

Rafa Nadal will not be competing in the Laver Cup either, the tournament promoted by Swiss Roger Federer that pits Team Europe against Team Rest of the World and which this year will be held from 20 to 22 September in Berlin. The winner of 22 Grand Slams, who at the beginning of August gave up playing the US Open and announced that he would return to the German capital, has revealed this afternoon his change of plans. “I am really disappointed to share that I will not be able to compete in the Laver Cup in Berlin next week. It is a team competition, and to really support Team Europe, I need to do my best for them, and at this moment there are other tennis players who can help the team to achieve victory,” said the Balearic player, according to a statement published on the official accounts of the event. The absence leaves Nadal, who last competed at the Paris Olympics in July, with no date set for his return to the court for an official match, although his name does figure in a multi-million-dollar exhibition to be held in Riyadh in October that is also expected to feature Alcaraz, Djokovic, Sinner, Medvedev and Rune.

After falling at the Games in both singles and doubles – with Alcaraz as his partner – the Mallorcan said he wanted to return home to catch his breath and decide his future after being unable to compete consistently at the highest level since 2022 due to injuries. That year he won the Australian Open, triumphed at Roland Garros and reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon, although he had to abandon the London tournament due to an abdominal problem without even taking centre court against Kyrgios.

Since then, Nadal has been unable to play tennis without physical problems for long periods, a necessary recovery to regain his form and confidence. Not playing the Laver Cup means turning down a tournament with a more friendly format and in which he could also play doubles, which is less physically demanding. “I have so many wonderful and emotional memories of playing the Laver Cup, and I was really looking forward to being with my teammates and Björn [Borg] in his final year as captain. I wish the European team the best of luck and I will be cheering them on from afar,” he added in the statement.

In his last interview, at the beginning of September in The anthillThe Balearic player insisted that he wanted to take some time to decide his future and stated that he had no objectives for the rest of the season, where there are still two Masters 1000 tournaments to be played – Shanghai and Paris – in addition to the Davis Cup, which started this week and in which he also did not want to participate.

On the programme presented by Pablo Motos he also said that he was a little tired of having to talk about his possible retirement at every appearance. “I understand that they are retiring me. It’s been many years, I’ve been through many physical problems and the question is normal, but there comes a time when I can’t live with retirement, because if not, you don’t finish trying.” [seguir jugando]”I have given myself some time to enjoy tennis after a year and a half off the court and that is what I am doing, enjoying the day to day. In the end, I wanted to give myself my time and I will make the decision when I have it clear, and I will tell you. I ask that they do not bring up the subject of retirement in every press conference, because if not, I end up believing that I am going to retire,” said the Mallorcan, who is training in Manacor.

The former world number one has therefore left the door open to this not being his last season as a professional on the circuit, an idea he himself hinted at in May 2023 at a press conference in Mallorca.

If there is no change of script and he comes back, Nadal will end this year with a blank – he did not win any titles last year either and only played four matches – after having played only one of the four Grand Slams: he gave up the Australian Open due to an abdominal injury, fell in the first round at Roland Garros against finalist Zverev and did not go to Wimbledon or New York. In his 19 matches in 2024 he has 12 wins and seven losses. He reached the quarterfinals in Brisbane, reached the second round of the Godó, reached the round of 16 in Madrid, fell in the second round of Rome and in the first round of Paris and was a finalist in Bastad. His tennis also left doubts again at the Olympic Games with a heavy defeat in the second round against Djokovic. Punished by the inactivity caused by injuries, he is now ranked 154th in the world. ranking ATP.

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