Rafa Nadal said he would like to continue playing tennis long enough for his son to remember him on court, although the 22-time Grand Slam winner admitted time is not on his side, Reuters reported.
The 37-year-old Spaniard, who has already shared his expectation to retire after the end of 2024, returned to tournaments in Brisbane at the start of the year after nearly a year off the court. He has since been nursing injuries again and returned to Barcelona last week, trying to get fit for his beloved Roland Garros next month.
Nadal beat American wild card Darwin Blanch 6-1, 6-0 at the start of the tournament in Madrid as his wife and one-year-old son watched from the stands.
“I would like to play a little longer to leave him memories of me as a tennis player,” Nadal said of his son. “It would be the perfect thing for me, my wife and family. It probably won’t happen. But at least I’m happy to have a great team and great family and friends around me throughout my life so far, which makes me happy,” he added.
Nadal, a five-time champion in Madrid, will play 10th seed Alex De Minor of Australia in the next round on Saturday./BTA
