Rafael Nadal revealed he is unlikely to play the US Open as he dropped his strongest hint yet that his career could very soon be at an end. Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s crowd-pleasing run in the men’s doubles at the Olympics came to an end with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram. The 14-time French Open champion gave a lingering wave to all sides of Court Philippe Chatrier, but it seems very likely not to be just Roland Garros that does not see Nadal on court again. Asked whether he would head to the United States, where events building up to the US Open are already under way, the 38-year-old 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.” Answering a question about his relationship with Alcaraz, meanwhile, Nadal cast even more doubt on his future. “If my age would be 10 years less, we were going to create a beautiful relationship on court and we were going to share a lot of beautiful moments together,” he said. “But that’s not going to happen. We’ll see if I keep playing the normal tour. But of course I will be supporting him from home and wishing him all the very best every single time. Even if I keep playing or not, I love tennis.” (PA Media/DPA)
