Rafael Nadal backed to prolong career as David Ferrer 'convinced' about fellow Spaniard
Rafael Nadal is widely expected to retire from professional tennis at the end of this year.
David Ferrer believes that Rafael Nadal may keep playing into next year and beyond, as opposed to retiring at the end of 2024, if he manages to stay injury-free. The Spaniard made a brief return to the court at the Brisbane International in January but suffered a small muscle tear against Jordan Thompson in the quarter-finals.
Nadal has not played since, with the 37-year-old having pulled out of last week's Qatar Open due to a lack of fitness. He is expected to make his long-awaited return to action at this weekend's Netflix Slam, a one-off match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas.
The Manacor native has certainly endured more than his fair share of injury problems over the years, but Ferrer would not be surprised to see him playing for a long time to come if he can put those issues to bed.
When asked by Marca if Nadal could play into 2025, Ferrer said: "Yes, without a doubt. Knowing Rafa a little or a lot, if he does not have physical injuries. I am convinced that he will be competitive.
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"It was already shown in the first week of the year in Brisbane that he was at a very high level without barely competing. If he doesn’t have any injuries, he will be competitive and if he is competitive, he will continue for another year."
Nadal will be hoping to stay fit between now and the French Open, a tournament he has dominated with 14 titles to his name. He is typically the favourite whenever he plays at Roland Garros but Ferrer is not backing him to be as competitive this year.
"It’s difficult to say because I haven’t seen him compete," said Ferrer. "If I watch him play for three weeks to see how he feels and his tennis level, I may have a different perception or I may adjust more to reality."
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Discussing the upcoming match between Nadal and Alcaraz in Las Vegas, Ferrer added that he was looking forward to seeing his two fellow Spaniards sharing the court for only the third time.
"I hope it will be a match of intensity, with good rhythm, that they play well," he said. "Knowing Rafa, I think he is going to care about that match, competing at the highest level because then comes Indian Wells. For him it is important to feel good in tennis and he is going to measure himself with nothing more and nothing less than Carlos Alcaraz.
"For Carlos, it is also important because he has not played much and it will serve him well for Indian Wells and Miami. As a spectator, I would pay a ticket to see it."