It’s not just Rafael Nadal: Retirement is in the tennis air as the French Open starts
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It’s not just Rafael Nadal: Retirement is in the tennis air as the French Open starts
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BY HOWARD FENDRICH
Updated 11:01 AM GMT+1, May 25, 2024
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PARIS (AP) — It’s not just Rafael Nadal who has folks wondering how many more tennis matches remain in his career.
With the French Open set to start Sunday, plenty of accomplished players are getting ready to bid adieu to the sport soon, including three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, major finalist Danielle Collins and French fan favorite Alizé Cornet.
It’s not just Rafael Nadal: Retirement is in the tennis air as the French Open starts
“It’s not your ‘forever’ career,” said Collins, a 30-year-old from Florida who was the runner-up at the 2022 Australian Open. “There’s nobody playing until you’re 50.”
The list goes on, too: Dominic Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion and a two-time runner-up at Roland Garros, has said this will be his final season, as did Diego Schwartzman, another former member of the top 10 who once reached the French Open semifinals. Both lost in qualifying on Wednesday in Paris.
It’s not just Rafael Nadal: Retirement is in the tennis air as the French Open starts
“All of these people had a great run. They’re not retiring because they were in a car accident or because the back gave out. So there is that,” said Martina Navratilova, an 18-time major champ who now works for Tennis Channel. “I think it’s just a coincidence that all these great players are retiring at the same time.”Roger Federer and Serena Williams both announced they were done in 2022, after turning 40 — Federer finished up with a Laver Cup doubles match alongside rival and friend Nadal, who turns 38 on June 3 and has indicated this is likely his last season; Williams was feted at one last U.S. Open.
