WATCH: Rafael Nadal all smiles as he touches down in Paris for possible final French Open campaign
Rafael Nadal has arrived in Paris for what might turn out to be his final French Open campaign. The Spaniard, a record 14-time champion at Roland Garros, has strongly hinted that he could be hanging up his racket this season, making this year's edition of the French Open all the more memorable for him.
With the 2024 edition of the tournament set to begin at the end of this week (May 26), Nadal was spotted touching down at the site of his next tournament on Monday (May 20).
The former World No. 1 appeared in high spirits and exchanged a warm welcome with the event staff who have become accustomed to his towering presence over the years. Here's the video:
Rafael Nadal didn't play in the French Open last year, as he was recovering from an injury at the time.
The year before that, he won the title, which remains his most recent Grand Slam title to this day. After beating current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, the Mallorcan defeated Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud to take home his 14th Roland Garros trophy.
This year, the former World No. 1 will be coming into the tournament with considerable match practice.
After a second-round exit at the Barcelona Open to start his 2024 clay campaign, he reached the fourth round at the Madrid Open and the second round at the recently concluded Italian Open for a 5-3 win/loss record on the surface for the year.
"Rafael Nadal will not go to Roland Garros to lose in the second round" - Spaniard's uncle Toni
Rafael Nadal has not appeared overtly confident about his chances of winning the French Open again in what's likely his final year on tour. But the Spaniard's uncle Toni has expressed a slightly different opinion on the matter.
In a recent interview with ESPN, the Spaniard opined that his nephew would not be entering the tournament unless he believes that he has a chance of winning.
While Toni Nadal admitted that a dream ending for the 22-time Grand Slam champion would be to win his 15th French Open and retire, he believes doing so would only motivate Nadal to keep playing even longer.
"He is not going to drag himself down, he remains confident because of his mentality and way of being.
"He will not go to Roland Garros to lose in the second round, only if he believes he can win the tournament. His dream ending would be to win Roland Garros and retire, but I think if he does he will want to continue. He won't retire," Toni said.
The Mallorcan is unseeded at Roland Garros this year, meaning it's possible that he could draw any of the seeded players in the first round.