Ivan Ljubicic expresses surprise at Rafael Nadal's retirement announcement - "To decide to quit, that is the hardest thing"

As the tennis community begins to accept the fact that Rafael Nadal will be hanging up his racket at the end of the season, Ivan Ljubicic, former coach of Roger Federer, has admitted to being blindsided by the news.

Nadal has dealt with injuries over the past two seasons, causing him to skip multiple Grand Slam events. After making another attempt at a comeback earlier this year, the Spaniard was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon and the US Open. Nadal competed at the summer Olympics for the final time this year, before announcing he would be retiring after the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this November.

The former World No.3 coached Federer during his final years on tour, and was with the Swiss when he decided to call it a career after undergoing three surgeries in 18 months before finally at the 2022 Laver Cup. Regarding Nadal, Ljubicic believes the 22-time Grand Slam champion should have made the decision earlier this season.

"I'm surprised because I thought Roland Garros was probably the right time, the most logical place to stop,” the Croat said while attending the Festival dello Sport. “But I don't know what he [Nadal] feels or why that was his decision.
“I don't think a player of this level - as I saw it with Federer - would retire, because he doesn't want to play tennis anymore. He steps back because he probably feels that he cannot play at a level that is acceptable to him. When the future is not clear, it is not good to continue with this feeling, and it is logical to make a certain decision. I've always said it's one thing, to decide to quit, that is the hardest thing.
"We spoke a lot with Roger about this situation; then the moment comes where you have no choice because Roger wasn't able to play a tournament and retire if he was competitive, But with Rafa, I hope to see him on the court in Spain and his last game [in front of] a home crowd to play. That would be very nice."