Rafael Nadal was painfully candid about his condition during his press conference in Madrid, a day before his first-round match against 16-year-old Darwin Blanch.
Despite the positive words in Barcelona, Matadora has now shared that he is not feeling very well this week and continues to be limited in his opportunities on the court. Moreover, he said that in his current state he would not play at Roland Garros.
“I don’t know what will happen in the next three weeks. I will fight and do the things I think I need to do to play in Paris. If I succeed – well, if I fail – too. If I arrive in Paris the way I feel today, I won’t play. I will play Roland Garros if I feel competitive. It won’t be the end of the world or the end of my career. I also have goals after Roland Garros, I’m looking at the Olympics, there are different formats to play in.”
He has said on several occasions that he would not have played in Madrid in any other situation, but he largely took the decision to play in the Spanish capital with his heart. He also confirmed that this will be his last appearance in Kaha Magica.
“I’m looking forward to it. Playing in Madrid has always been very good for me, I have never had such support anywhere else. I look forward to playing once more. I don’t think I’m ready to play 100%, but I’m ready to go out and play tomorrow. It’s important for me to play here one last time. Madrid means a lot, I will be able to enjoy again this court where I have experienced such beautiful moments.”
Nadal’s opponent is a tennis player for whom this will be the second ATP match, so logically the Spaniard does not know much about him. “I haven’t seen much of his game. There is a big age gap. There are young players with great potential. I hope I do what I need to do and enjoy myself. I hope I can be competitive enough to have a chance to win tomorrow.”
He was also asked if he expected a special ceremony from the organizers of the tournament. “Sometimes things are not black and white. Many times I have had serious injuries that I have come back from. I have always been positive, but now I feel that this is the end. In any place they will decide to do what I feel. They don’t have to ask me. It’s fine for me. I want to play, have fun. If they want to do something – fine, but nobody has to show me something, they’ve done it in my career and that’s the most important thing.”
The question of the ideal scenario during the week also led to the admission that Nadal is not feeling his best at the moment. “It’s hard to say what would be ideal and what wouldn’t be. The most ideal would be to be able to play, not have many restrictions and whatever happens. That would be positive. I’m not feeling perfect this week and maybe I wouldn’t be on the court tomorrow if it wasn’t for Madrid. I decided to come out and play for completely personal reasons. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up on everything in the coming weeks, it just means it’s not a straight line process.”
He spoke again and more generally about his feelings in recent weeks and the feeling of playing without being able to give 100% of his capabilities. “Off the court, yes (enjoying his return to the tour. nb) Let’s not lie. It’s hard to play without having the opportunity to give my best. Sometimes I have a hard time internally, although it’s good to be playing again. If you ask me if I was happy in the second set in Barcelona, definitely not. Outside of winning, what makes me happy throughout my life is doing my best, no matter the situation, and accomplishing my goals.”
“The main goal was to leave the court giving everything possible to do well. Wins and losses are part of our daily lives. It was rare for me to go home without doing this. Now I just can’t. At another point in my career I probably wouldn’t have played, but now I have to try. Time is not infinite, so we do the things that are required to try to find a way forward.”
