Rafael Nadal likened his struggles with injury in the last 18 months to being in a jungle as the 14-time French Open champion hoped to return to Roland Garros for the Olympic Games after making a premature exit from the Grand Slam.
Never far from physical issues in his glittering career, the 37-year-old missed almost all of 2023 with a hip problem and his comeback earlier this year was stalled by a muscle tear, before small niggles affected his preparation for the claycourt Major.
Nadal crashed to a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 defeat by German fourth seed Alexander Zverev in Paris and although there were positives, the Spaniard said he could not predict how his battered body would respond to the demands of the Games in July and August.
"My body has been a jungle for two years. You don't know what to expect. I wake up one day and I find a snake biting me. Another day a tiger," Nadal told a packed press conference following his earliest exit from Roland Garros. "I've been fighting with all the things that I went through. But the dynamic is positive the last few weeks. I can't say anything today, but my main goal now is to play the Olympics."
It will only be the third time since his debut at Roland Garros in 2005, that Nadal does not get to celebrate his June 3 birthday in Paris.
Addressing the crowd after the match, he said: "I hope to see you again, but I don't know. There's a big percentage I will not be back here but I am not 100 percent sure. I hope to be back on this court for the Olympics, that motivates me."
Nadal will be eyeing his third Olympic gold medal after winning in singles in the 2008 Beijing Games and doubles eight years later in Rio.
He had expressed doubts about his fitness ahead of what was likely his final French Open.
"Today I felt I was able to move better than in previous tournaments. But I had a very tough opponent. He played well," Nadal said. "Of course disappointed to lose, but I'm happy that I finished healthy and I had a tough battle out there."
Nadal said it would be unwise to prepare for the grasscourt season and Wimbledon with a potentially difficult transition back to clay for the Olympics.
REUTERS
Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd after what could be his last French Open. AFP
