After years of hinting at retirement, will 2023 be the year Rafa Nadal walks away for good?

For the last ten years, Rafael Nadal has been hinting at a possible retirement which has, to some degree or other, helped prepare fans for the day when this becomes a reality. However, now more than ever, it does feel like the Spaniard is on the brink of walking away from the sport after a difficult start to 2023. 

French Open – victory again?

The one positive is that any official retirement will, in all likelihood, not come before the French Open – a competition that Nadal is currently priced at +250 to win, according to the latest outright tennis betting odds. Although after a string of recent injuries that could hamper his chances of winning, the reality is that Nadal’s participation won’t be solely based on winning in Paris but rather on bidding goodbye to a tournament that he has won a record 14 times. Simply put, the 36-year-old has no equal on the fabled courts of Roland-Garros, which will surely mean that he will afford himself the opportunity to say a special farewell in person.

Wanted to share a nice picture with you 😉
@rolandgarros
👉🏻 #Paris #13 #Vamos 💪🏻😘 pic.twitter.com/SNgy5YYWCa

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) October 12, 2020

This is, at least, what Alexander Zverev has suggested might be the case with the German confident that the Spaniard will enjoy one last dance in Paris before saying au revoir. It should be pointed out that it was a statement that Nadal quickly shot down when asked about but that probably has more to do with the ban he put on any talk of his impending retirement rather than ruling the specific timing of it out. 

The sun is setting on Nadal’s journey 

Indeed, Nadal may have prohibited the media from asking him about when he will stop playing but at the same time, the 36-year-old has poured fuel on the fire by revealing that he now finds life on tour difficult following Roger Federer’s retirement. In many respects, you can understand why this would be the case as both Nadal and Federer had been involved in a fierce rivalry for the best part of 20 years which today, has evolved into a wonderful friendship.

An emotional moment.

Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were in tears after Federer’s last match. pic.twitter.com/GNwAg8wJnA

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 24, 2022

Undoubtedly, Nadal would have felt a sense of isolation when Federer walked away which may mean that 2023 will be the year when he seriously considers doing the same.

The King of Clay’s last stand 

As initially touched on, this admission about the hole that Federer’s retirement has left in his professional life does come on the back of years of alluding to the toll that the court surfaces around the world have taken on his knees. On many different occasions, Nadal has stressed that when his second act away from tennis does begin, he wants to have a body that will allow him the opportunity to enjoy it pain-free.

Just thinking about how many Grand Slams Rafa Nadal might have if his career was injury free 💭🏆 pic.twitter.com/3Y1iCCghY1

— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 21, 2023

Incredibly, you could say that this particular boat may have sailed given the physical exertion that Nadal has put on his body over the last few years which ultimately means that the Spaniard will have to put up with niggles for the remainder of his life. Crucially, they will still be manageable at this stage but the more strain he puts on his ailing knees the closer he gets to 40, the more he will suffer in the long run.

Although no one needs to inform Nadal of this as he has been telling everyone the same thing for ten years, this time, however, it seems far more believable that he will act on his concerns by retiring at some stage in 2023.