Rafael Nadal grabbed eyeballs on Wednesday by making it to the US Open 2024 list of player entries. Seeing Nadal’s fitness and form, his retirement at the Olympics or the Laver Cup was a possibility earlier.
But the Spaniard’s confidence to extend his career is evident and he backed it up by defeating World No.42 Cam Norrie in the Round of 16 at the Swedish Open on Thursday. Nadal’s construction of points and some of his vintage shots such as the banana one, was spotted by many and went viral on social media.
It’s a beauty @RafaelNadal #NordeaOpen pic.twitter.com/elP1oLeO4g
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 18, 2024
Interestingly, before the Olympics, Nadal opted to play at the men’s doubles event at Bastad too. He has made it to the semifinals with his mentee, Casper Ruud. This also shows that the 22-time Grand Slam champion is ready to take up some more workload as he wants more time on the court.
Nadal’s immediate goal is winning medals for Spain at the Olympics in Paris. But the competition will be very intense at the marquee sporting event.
So doing well in it would go a long way for him to decide whether he has it in him to return to his best, which was last seen at Wimbledon 2022.
A day after winning against Norrie in Bastad, Nadal told El Norte in an interview that despite putting his name in the entries list for the US Open 2024, he would wait once the Olympics is done and how he performs in it, to finalise his participation it. As of now, he is a certainty to play in the Laver Cup if he is fit.
If Nadal plays at the Grand Slam in New York City, he would do so on a protected ranking, just like he did at the French Open in May. Currently, Nadal is ranked 224th in the world. So he will have to embrace the possibility of once again playing a very high-ranked opponent in the first round itself.
While many might not be optimistic of seeing Nadal having a deep run at the US Open 2024, he is winning support just for his comeback, as he is a fan favorite at Flushing Meadows.
Will It Be Nadal’s ‘Last Dance’ at US Open 2024?
This year will also mark the 5th anniversary of his last US Open win. So the excitement surrounding Nadal at the tournament will be a lot more.
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Would the 2024 US Open be Rafa Nadal’s last tournament at Flushing Meadows? The Spaniard is set to give it all in a tournament he has won 4 times! pic.twitter.com/qXWZWN39g5
— Wide World of Tennis (@tennisfan_dkr) July 18, 2024
The last time Nadal made an appearance at the US Open was in 2022 as well when he reached the Round of 16, which he lost to Frances Tiafoe. In 2023 though, the 4-time champion had to miss the Grand Slam due to his hip injury.
Nadal was projected at Times Square as part of his advertisement with Infosys and that went viral on social media. So his real presence this year would mean much more to himself, fans and the tournament organisers.
