Spanish great Rafael Nadal says that he could be set for his French Open swan song on Tuesday against world number one Novak Djokovic as the 21-time Grand Slam winner stokes retirement rumors ahead of the pivotal quarter-final clash at Roland Garros.
Nadal, 35, has dominated the French Open throughout his record-breaking career, winning the Grand Slam event a remarkable 13 times between 2005 and 2020, but the clay court has appeared to be in philosophical mood ahead of his match with Djokovic.
The Spaniard needed all five sets to squeeze past ninth seed Felix Auger Aliassime on Sunday in what was a fiercely competitive match, particularly compared to Djokovic’s comprehensive straight sets win against Diego Schwartzman earlier the same day.
And ahead of the latest showdown between the two of the most dominant players of their generation, Nadal has admitted that his French Open career could shudder to a halt in the French sun this week.