"I honestly don't think he will say goodbye": Fellow ex professional and friend Juan Monaco believes Nadal will find it hard to end career in 2024

Former world number 10 Juan Monaco is hoping to see his friend Rafael Nadal change his retirement plans.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner has announced that he will be calling it quits next year after suffering multiple injuries in the recent past. It is because of this reason Nadal will not participate in any professional tennis in 2023.

Juan, who won nine ATP titles in his career, while talking to clay, expressed optimism to see the 37-year-old continue playing at the highest level for a bit longer and suggested that the 14-time French Open winner will not just return to the court ‘to see what happens’.

“I think if he decides to return, to train hard to return to the tour is to win,” said the 39-year-old. “If he doesn’t, he won’t come back. I honestly don’t think [he’ll say goodbye]. He’s going to set the limit for himself. I know him a lot, and I think that if he prepares to come back, he prepares to win, he doesn’t prepare to make the quarter-finals.

“He has a very high standard. I think he has not played Roland-Garros, because he was seen in training, that he was not ready to win Roland-Garros, although he could have played it. If he prepares to come back, he comes back to win, not to see what happens.

“He made a big effort to try to come back after Australia, and every time he strained his leg it bothered him a lot. Until he had to take the decision to have surgery. It is a complicated operation, he is doing it to be able to walk calmly tomorrow.

"Whether he can play tennis again will depend on how much effort he wants to put in. I know how much pain he is in, I know that in the last five years he has been living with a lot of pain.”