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Rafael Nadal revealed he is unlikely to play the US Open as he dropped his strongest hint yet that his career could very soon be at an end.
Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz's crowd-pleasing run in the men's doubles at the Olympics came to an end with a 6-2, 6-4 loss to American fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram.
The 14-time French Open champion gave a lingering wave to all sides of Court Philippe Chatrier, but it seems very likely not to be just Roland Garros that does not see Nadal on court again.
The 38-year-old, who walked off court applauding all four sides of the stadium, has slumped to 161 in the world after a succession of injuries and has faced relentless questions over whether he will be calling time on his glittering career that has seen him win 22 Grand Slam titles.
He said after his painful defeat to Novak Djokovic in the singles competition in Paris that he would make a decision on his future after the Olympics.
Asked whether he would head to the United States, where events building up to the US Open are already under way, the 38-year-old said: “It looks like not but I'm going to let you know soon. For me now, I can't give you a clear answer, I need some time. But for me it looks difficult.
“If that's the last time, for me it's an unforgettable feeling and emotions. They give me the love and the support every single second that I have been on court.
“For me, it's super, super special to feel that, particularly in this place. I can't really thank enough all of them for giving me the feelings that I have inside myself and the emotions that they make me feel.”
Answering a question about his relationship with Alcaraz, meanwhile, Nadal cast even more doubt on his future.
“If my age will be 10 years less, we're going to create a beautiful relationship on court and we're going to share a lot of beautiful moments together,” he said.
“But that's not going to happen. We'll see if I keep playing the normal tour. But of course I will be supporting him from home and wishing him all the very best every single time. Even if I keep playing or not, I love tennis.”
Nadal, who won Olympic singles gold in Beijing in 2008 and doubles gold eight years later in Rio, said it had been a “great experience” to be part of the Spanish team at the Paris Games.
“For me personally it was disappointing to not bring back a medal for Spain but that's it,” he said. “I tried my best in every single minute that I was on court but it was not enough to achieve our goals.”
And he said the Olympics had a special place in the sporting calendar. “Honestly, the feeling and the emotions that you live at an Olympic Games are difficult to compare with other events because here you feel part of something bigger than only a personal team,” he added.
“That's an amazing feeling. I feel so lucky that I have been able to win a gold in singles because in the end, it's the most difficult event to win because you have just a few chances in your career. That's the truth.”
