Carlos Alcaras (20, Spain, world ranking No. 2), who is called ‘Nadal’s successor’ and ‘next-generation clay god’, has his idol, Rafael Nadal (37, Spain, world ranking No. 14) expressed regret and respect for the news of not participating in the French Open.
Alkaras said on his personal social media on the 18th (Korean time), “It is very painful and sad that you (Nadal) will not be able to play at Roland Garros and compete in more competitions this year.”
Nadal held a press conference at the Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain. He announced that he would not attend the Roland Garros French Open, which opens in Paris, France on the 22nd. He also announced plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season.
“I’ll stop for a month and a half or two, three or four months. I don’t like to predict the future,” Nadal said. He continued, “You can imagine how difficult this decision was for me. It was not a decision I made, it was judged by my body.”
It is unclear whether he will participate in the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. He said he would return next year in good shape and announced that the 2024 season would be his “final year as a player”.
Nadal first competed at the 2005 French Open. Since then he has stood on the Roland Garros Court without a miss for 18 years.
Last year, he reached the top of the French Open for the 14th time, proving that the ‘mud god’ is alive and well. However, he suffered from various injuries from the second half, and was eliminated in the second round of the Australian Open in January.
The event brought him unwelcome hip muscle and back injuries. Nadal dropped out of the French Open, saying “recovery took longer than expected”.카지노사이트
After this news broke, many tennis players and officials sent their voices of support to Nadal. Alkaras, who has been greatly influenced by Nadal since childhood, expressed his respect by saying, “I wish you a great season in 2024. I also hope you can say goodbye as if you were a great champion.”
World No. 3 Danil Medvedev (27, Russia) also said, “He (Nadal) is an amazing athlete and one of the best players in history. I want to come back as soon as possible.” “I hope he can come back and win more Grand Slam titles,” Medvedev said.
Medvedev advanced to the semifinals in singles at the Men’s Professional Tennis (ATP) Tour Masters 1000 Series Rome Open, which is currently being held in Rome, Italy. Alkaras also participated in the event, but was eliminated in the third round. Although Alkaras failed to advance to the round of 16 at the Rome Open, he beat Novak Djokovic (36, Serbia, world No. 1) in the new world rankings to be announced next week and regains the world No. 1 ranking.