Rafael Nadal: If I can play at a high level in singles, I can play at a good level in doubles

Interview/ Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal looks back on a paradoxical Roland Garros, where he rediscovered his excellent sensations despite losing his opener at the French Open. Still unsure of how far his career will go, the 38-year-old Spaniard is preparing with great enthusiasm for the Olympics, where he will play singles and partner the sensational Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ Have you seriously thought about stopping your career?

A/ Yes, of course. Many times. I had recurring problems, I couldn’t train, I wasn’t enjoying myself. When I’m not enjoying myself, when I’m too physically limited, it loses all meaning in everyday life. Absolutely everything. And even more so when you’re almost 38, have a family and after the career I’ve had. But I’ve always had people on my side who have helped me, whether it’s my family or my team. And I’ve always been able to stay stable in my head.

Q/ Where do you stand on your potential farewell?

A/ I’ve never taken a decision in haste, and that won’t be the case this time either. The way I’ve felt over the last few weeks means I want to explore a bit more, to see what can happen. I feel like I’m back to enjoying myself and having fun. I want to give myself a chance to see if my physique stays at this level or if it’s just a passing moment and things start to go wrong again. I’m giving myself time to see how I feel after the Olympics, and then we’ll see what happens and what decisions I make. But always with great serenity, with the satisfaction of having always done my best. And when I have to make a decision, in the end, I’ll take it without any problem. I’ve always said that I think this will be my last year, but I can’t say for sure, because at the end of the day, you never know what’s going to happen in the future.

Q/ How did you react when Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open? He’s the first Spaniard to succeed you.

A/ I’m delighted for him and his family. He’s an incredible player and a good person. For me, he was the great favourite. I felt that if Carlos played at his level, without necessarily being incredibly good, he would be hard to beat. He’s the one with the greatest ability to play in different ways. And on clay, that makes all the difference: he can play aggressively, defend, reverse the rally in different ways. The other players are incredible, but on clay, they have fewer options than he does.

Q/ How did you end up partnering him in doubles at the Olympics?

A/ I don’t know, that’s a difficult question to answer, because we didn’t really know if I was going to play in the Olympics, or how I was going to get there. Then David Ferrer (Spain’s coach) said to me: “If you’re feeling well, Carlos would like to play doubles with you. Would you be up for it?” Of course, I was delighted! I couldn’t have a better partner than him.

Q/ Will you be preparing specifically for doubles?

A/ No, I’m training to be ready for singles. I want to play at a high level in singles and I know that if I can do that, I’ll be able to play at a good level in doubles. That’s what I’ve always done: when I’ve played well in singles, I’ve played well in doubles. It’s true that I haven’t played doubles for a long time , and the ideal thing would have been to play a tournament beforehand, but that wasn’t possible. If Carlos is available and I’m physically fit, I think it would be interesting to train together the week before the Olympics. The Olympics are a team affair. Doubles are almost as important as singles. It’s an opportunity to try and win a medal. That’s the ultimate goal.