Rafael Nadal is set to follow Roger Federer's blueprints of retirement plans.
According to Mirror, Nadal has not yet announced his retirement date, but it is expected that he will end his professional tennis journey at the Laver Cup this year, following in the footsteps of Swiss legend Federer.
Nadal recently played doubles for the first time with Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympics, but the duo did not succeed in winning an Olympic medal.
After that, he also lost to Novak Djokovic in singles and gave a heartfelt wave to the crowd at the Court Philippe Chatrier in most likely his last Olympic appearance.
After the Olympics, the 22 Grand Slam title winner was expected to appear in the IS Open, but the tennis hinted about not playing the tournament.
Talking about his US Open participation, he said, “It looks like not, but I'm going to let you know soon. For me now, I can't give you a clear answer, I need some time. But for me, it looks difficult. We'll see if I keep playing the normal tour.”
Additionally, the 38-year-old tennis legend's non-committal stance about the US Open sparked rumours that his last professional game could be at the Laver Cup in September.
To note, Nadal's close friend and former rival Federer also played his last match at the Laver Cup in 2022.
