'He's keeping his cards close': Naomi Broady weighs in on Nadal's future

Naomi Broady gave her verdict amid the speculation surrounding Rafael Nadal's potential retirement. After two years of struggling with consistent competition, there were rumors that Nadal might end his career at the French Open or the Olympic Games; however, he continues to extend his career.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has not clarified a possible retirement date and has already signed up for the upcoming Laver Cup in Berlin in a month. Nevertheless, Nadal has announced that he will not participate in the US Open.

The former British player Naomi Broady shared her opinion on Sky Sports about Nadal's next steps and suggested that the Spaniard still has the desire to remain in top competition: “Nadal clearly has a plan in his head, but he’s keeping his cards close to his chest,” said Broady. “As we saw with Sir Andy [Murray], these guys will only – and rightly so – step away when they feel completely ready.”

“I think Rafa still really enjoys his tennis. They all just love the sport so much and if he can keep going then I think he would like to, which is why I think he didn’t announce his farewell at Roland Garros,” she added. “I think he was thinking ‘if there is any chance, any way I can get back here I will be back’. But it’s just going to be dependent on his body and unfortunately his body hasn’t been playing ball.”

“I think a lot of people thought he would have chosen to have that sort of celebration at the Olympics – at Roland Garros on Philippe-Chatrier – and playing for his country, but who knows? We just don’t know,” Naomi Broady opined. “I have total freedom, and I think I have tried hard throughout my life, to make the decision how and when I feel it.”

“In that sense, I am a fairly calm person and I need my time. When I know what my next step is, I will let you know, but right now my next step is to go back home, spend time with my family and relax.

“These have been exciting months, because I have started playing tennis again; they have also been hard, because I have gone through many difficult moments, disappointments, and also beautiful moments… now I have to manage everything, analyse it well and see how I feel.”