Tennis News: Rafael Nadal Confirms Retirement ; Doping-Banned Mikael Ymer Announces Comeback; Stefanos Tsitsipas Dubbed as Hypocrite

It has been quite an eventful few days in the tennis world. Last week, Rafael Nadal announced his return to the tennis court after being sidelined due to injuries. The Spaniard will return to action at the Barcelona Open and will play his comeback match later today. Elsewhere, Stefanos Tsitsipas won his maiden title this year at the Monte Carlo Masters. Despite Nadal and Tsitsipas’ positive news, contradictory updates have emerged about the duo.

There has been much talk going on in the tennis world surrounding Nadal’s retirement. He has been away from action for too long, one injury or another plaguing him. This has added fuel to rumors of retirement with no concrete updates. Clearing things up slightly, Nadal dropped a major hint about his retirement.

Is this the end of Rafael Nadal?

Before his first-round encounter against Flavio Cobolli later today, the 22-time Grand Slam champion appeared in an interview. During the conversation, his retirement topic popped up. Hinting that the 2024 season will be the final one of his illustrious career, Nadal said, “For me it is a gift to be able to be in Barcelona, ​​I take it as my last year and I want to enjoy every moment.”

With this, Nadal all but confirmed that the end of his career is near. Moreover, this is not the first time in the recent past that the Spaniard talked about ending his career. A couple of months back, he dropped a sensational deadline about his retirement, saying, “This is going to be my last year but I don’t confirm it 100%. I will go day by day. I’ll say it before Roland Garros. I give myself a few months of caution.”