"He wanted to say goodbye well": Boris Becker believes Rafael Nadal will never play at Roland Garros again

Former world number one Boris Becker believes Spain’s legendary tennis star Rafael Nadal will not return to the French Open next year. The 37-year-old suffered a first-round exit at the Roland Garros after losing to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Nadal, who announced last year that the 2024 season would be his last at the highest level after struggling with consistent fitness struggles, after the match did not confirm that it was indeed his last appearance at the Roland Garros where he has been the most successful player in the history of the competition, having lifted in 14 times. Becker was recently quoted in a report where he suggested that Nadal would not return to the court in the French Open.

“I believe that Rafa will still play the Olympics at Roland Garros, but I don’t think he’ll play the French Open again in 2025,” he said. “Of course, he has emotions and probably had a sleepless night because he didn’t know whether it would be the last time. He wanted to say goodbye well. Then his opponent was Zverev, against whom he can lose even on a good day. That’s why it was emotionally very difficult for Nadal.”