Rafael Nadal has made a career of not getting carried away with it all. Predictably, as he contemplates what may or may not prove to be his final visit to Roland Garros as a player, nothing is about to make him change.
Not the adoring thousands who gathered to watch his final practice on the eve of the French Open, where he has won 14 of his 24 grand slam titles. Not the incoming barrage of emotional video montages celebrating his unparalleled achievements on the Parisian clay. And certainly not the prospect of facing Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed and freshly minted Rome Masters champion, in the opening round on Monday.
“When you are not seeded, anything can happen,” said the 37-year-old Spaniard, whose protracted injury struggles have seen his ranking slip to 276 in the world.
“Of course, on paper it is not the best draw. I play against one of the toughest opponents possible and, at the same time, he came here winning the last event, and it’s a Masters 1000. That’s the draw. Just try to be ready for it.
“You know, it’s a super-tough first round. Maybe I go [and] repeat the disaster of Rome. It’s a possibility, of course. I don’t want to hide that.”
The aforementioned disaster was a resounding defeat by Hubert Hurkacz at the Foro Italico a fortnight ago, a humbling outcome for a player who has won 10 times in the Italian capital. Yet, for all the setbacks Nadal has suffered over the course of a swing he once dominated, there is a growing sense of optimism that he may not be done quite yet. He has looked stronger by the week since his return from the hip and abdominal problems that cost him the better part of 15 months, and as his freedom of movement has grown, so too has his belief.
“I have less limitations than three, four weeks ago, without a doubt,” said Nadal. “My personal feelings are better now than one month and a half ago, without a doubt.”
It was at that stage that Nadal marked his return to clay with a straight-sets defeat to Alex de Minaur in Barcelona. An emotional farewell followed at the Madrid Open, where he was soundly beaten by Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic, but Nadal eschewed a similar sendoff in Rome, refusing to discount entirely the possibility of a return. On Saturday, he offered another sliver of hope to his legion of fans that this may not, after all, be his final French Open.
“It’s a big, big chance that it’s going to be my last Roland Garros, but if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland Garros, sorry, but I will not, because I cannot predict what’s going on,” he said.
“I have been going through a long process of recovery with a very difficult injury, almost two years of suffering… [it] seems like I feel better now.
“So in some ways, I don’t want to close 100% the door.
“First thing, I am enjoying playing tennis. Second thing, I am traveling with the family. They are enjoying [it]. I am enjoying sharing all this process with them.
“And third thing, I was not able to explore yet the proper way how I will be able to play [in] more or less healthy conditions, playing without limitations. So give me some time.
“Maybe in one month and a half I say, ‘Ok, It’s enough. I can’t keep going.’ But today, in some way, I cannot guarantee that it’s going to be the last one. But of course, it’s a big chance.”
Victory over Zverev on Monday would doubtless have some influence on Nadal’s decision, and to judge from the reaction of the hordes who gathered for his practice session against Holger Rune on Saturday, he will not want for support. As the 10,000-seat stadium reverberated to chants of his name, Nadal received an early taste of the atmosphere he can expect against Zverev in two days’ time. The German, whose last experience of facing Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier came two years ago, when he ruptured ankle ligaments, is under no illusions about what to expect.
“For me, in my mind I’m going to play peak Rafa Nadal,” said Zverev. “That’s what I expect him to be. I expect him to be at his absolute best. I expect him to play the best tennis he’s played in a long time on this court.”
Nadal himself remains characteristically circumspect.
“[I hope] to do something different and play much better and give myself a chance to play competitively,” said the Spaniard. “Then it’s going to be enough or not.
“I [haven’t] played five-set matches since super long time ago. I didn’t play at this level of opponents being competitive since a super-long time ago. “So all these questions that I understand that you are [asking] me, I am asking to myself, too. But the answer is going to be on Monday, no? That’s it.”