The former world No 1 then announced he would be ending his 2021 season early and withdrawing from the upcoming US Open to help his foot recover, saying: “I have not had the ability to train and prepare and compete in the way that I really like do it to find a solution to this problem or at least improve it in order to continue to have options for the next few years.”
While there have been fears over Nadal’s comeback to the tour, with the Spaniard himself saying he was unsure when he would return, he appears to have made a promising return to the practice courts.
With retirement rumours rife as the 20-time Grand Slam champion continues to recover from his ongoing injury and recent “aggressive” procedure, Nadal has now set the record straight on when he will retire.
“At this point, I can’t predict anything,” he told NumberWeb.