“This could be the end…” Andy Roddick gives his verdict on Rafael Nadal’s decision to skip US Open 2024
Andy Roddick is hoping to see Rafael Nadal continue his career, though he said he won't be surprised if he retires at the Laver Cup.
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Andy Roddick (inset) and Rafael Nadal (via Imago)
Rafael Nadal is on the last leg of his glorious career and many have been speculating that he may follow in Roger Federer’s footsteps and play his last tournament at the Laver Cup. This belief was given more weight after he pulled out of the US Open, a Grand Slam tournament that he has won four times.
Andy Roddick, a US Open champion himself, addressed this on his podcast ‘Served with Andy’ and emphasized that everything was just speculation based on Nadal’s withdrawal from the American Slam. He hopes to see Nadal play a while longer but also believes that the end is nigh.
The Laver Cup could be a celebration. We’re all better when he’s around. Hopefully we’ll see him in the big finals again. It feels like this could be the end. I’m certainly not like the greatest players of all time. I can’t figure it out, but I don’t know if he wants to compete for titles in Bastad. We don’t know what he’ll do, we’re not in his inner circle, but I find it hard to believe that he’ll put in the effort and try to give Roland Garros another chance. But I’ve been wrong about him in the past and any analyst who has an opinion is just guessing.
Andy Roddick said on his podcast
Nadal made the final at the Swedish Open in Bastad, an ATP 250 event, last month. However, the 22-time Grand Slam champion may not be content with results like this, having gotten used to winning major titles throughout his career.
His recent loss to his greatest rival, Novak Djokovic, at the Paris Olympics may have accelerated his retirement as he is seemingly not at a level that he would be satisfied with.
Rafael Nadal will return to action in the Laver Cup alongside Carlos Alcaraz and others
The 2024 Laver Cup is scheduled to take place between the 20th and the 22nd of September. It is expected to be a star-studded event with some of the best players representing Team Europe and Team World.
Nadal, who partnered Roger Federer during his last professional match at the 2022 edition of the tournament, will likely be representing Europe for the last time. Alongside him will be a stacked team of Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. These players have confirmed their participation. Fans have been hoping that Novak Djokovic and even Roger Federer will make their presence felt in some way or the other.
For Team World, The top three Americans – Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, and Ben Shelton – are set to take part in the event. Australia’s Alex De Minaur is the only non-American in the bunch so far and the World No. 7 is also the highest-ranked member of this team.
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