‘It’s my body’s decision’

Rafael Nadal on Thursday withdrew from the French Open because his hip injury has not healed and said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennisldquoItrsquos not a decision Irsquom taking itrsquos a decision my body is takingrdquo said the 36yearold Spanish player who has played at the claycourt major every year since 2005 and won it 14 timesNadal said he was taking a few months off meaning he will also definitely miss Wimbledon and most likely the US Open before starting to play again And he said next year would bring down the curtain on a career that has so far produced 22 Grand Slam singles titles ldquoItrsquos probably going to be my last year on the professional tour I canrsquot say this 100 per cent because you never know whatrsquos going to happenrdquo he told a news conferenceldquoThe injury I suffered in Australia has not healed as we hoped Roland Garros became impossible I will not be there after many years with everything that tournament means to merdquoNo date set yetNadal said he will not set a date for his return but said the Davis Cup in November could be a potential targetThe former World No 1 has not played since the Australian Open in January where he picked up a hip injury in a shock second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald of the United States He was expected to recover inside six weeks comfortably in time for the claycourt season and to launch an assault on a recordextending 15th title at Roland Garros However with his 37th birthday little over two weeks away and having skipped Masters events in Indian Wells Miami Monte Carlo Madrid and Rome Nadal appears to be facing a final battle he cannot win After a career plagued by knee wrist and foot injuries in particular the alarm bells have been ringing ever louder over the last year Nadalrsquos undefeated start to 2022 which saw him pick up a second Australian Open title ended with a chest injury at Indian WellslsquoPlayed with no feelingrsquoHe swept to a 14th French Open in June but only after revealing he had required daily painkilling injections in his foot a consequence of suffering from MuellerWeiss Syndrome a rare degenerative condition ldquoI played with no feeling in the foot with a painkilling injection in the nerverdquo he said at the time in ParisAlso ReadAna Ivanovic hails hubby Bastian for being a great dadThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever