Paris 2024 Olympics Will Be Rafael Nadal's Last Tournament?

Rafael Nadal is rumored to have announced his retirement at the 2024 Paris Olympics (Instagram/@rafaelnadal).

JAKARTA - It has been about two decades since Rafael Nadal debuted at the Olympics. At that time, he was 18 years old when he played as a men's doubles with Carlos Moya at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

However, the initial step was not smooth. Nadal and Moya were immediately eliminated in the first round.

However, after that his career sped up. In the same year when his Olympic debut, Nadal won the Davis Cup while defending Spain.

He then reached the semifinals of the Grand Slam US Open and the third round of the 2004 Australian Open in the men's doubles.

The title is just a matter of time. Since stealing the show in 2004, Nadal has packed 22 Grand Slam titles to date, all in the men's singles number.

In detail, two Australian Open trophies, 14 French Open titles, two Wimbledon champions, and four times US Open champions.

Nadal has played more than 1,000 men's singles matches to date.

The Olympic gold medal has been held twice. One gold medal was won as a single player at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, another at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics when playing doubles with Marc Lopez.

Now, at the age of 38, Rafael Nadal will fight at the 2024 Paris Olympics which are his fourth participation in the world's largest multi-events.

Nadal is indeed starting to slow down due to age factors. He has appeared cautious considering the impact of every point on his body.

He has reached the end of his professional career. Apparently, the 2024 Paris Olympics will be the right moment of separation from the world that made his name.

The speculation emerged after he made a statement regarding doubts about appearing at the US Open 2024 in August-September 2024.

"I will decide what happens after the 2024 Olympics," said Nadal.

Nadal has confirmed his intention to play in the Laver Cup after the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the ATP Tour level tournament did not feel right as a farewell to the former world number one tennis player.

Moreover, there are rumors that Nadal wants to hang up his racket or retire in the same tournament as his biggest rival, Roger Federer, the Olympics.

The gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics will certainly be a decent pension prize for Nadal after irreplaceablely holding the status of the King of Tanah Lihat with a 14-time French Open champion at Roland Garros.

Currently, Nadal has confirmed that he is focused on his games at the 2024 Olympics. He will give his best performance and that is what tennis fans have been waiting for as his retirement approaches.