Former world number one aims to avoid any injury setbacks for upcoming claycourt season
\nLONDON
\nRafa Nadal said he hopes to avoid any injury setbacks at Indian Wells so he can be fully fit for the upcoming claycourt season in what could be his final year on the ATP Tour.
\nThe 37-year-old, who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles on the red clay of Roland Garros, has suggested his career could be coming to a close and missed this year\u2019s Australian Open due to pain in his surgically repaired hip.
\n\u201cFor me, the priority is to try to get out of Indian Wells unscathed,\u201d Nadal was quoted as saying on Eurosport ahead of his exhibition match against fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas on Sunday.
\n\u201cWhatever has to be left, leave it in the clay season, which may or may not be the last, I have not decided 100%. At the moment things are going that way,\u201d Nadal said in Spanish at a press conference ahead of the Netflix Slam event.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not saying goodbye because then I\u2019d say I\u2019m not playing anymore. This is an important point and I don\u2019t want to say it because I\u2019m not 100% clear about it. \u201cIn the last two years, I haven\u2019t been able to play. Life is showing you the path.\u201d
\nFormer world number one Nadal is a three-time Indian Wells champion and plays his first round match on Thursday at the tournament in the Southern California desert.
\nHe has previously said his goal was to play the French Open and the Paris Olympics this year.
\n\u201cHow did I imagine my farewell? At first, I didn\u2019t imagine it because when you start to imagine something, it means that the closer you are to it,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t something I had in mind. I would like to say goodbye well, being competitive and enjoying myself on the court. Whether that can be or not, time will tell.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Former world number one aims to avoid any injury setbacks for upcoming claycourt season LONDON Rafa Nadal said he hopes to avoid any injury setbacks at Indian Wells so he can be fully fit for the upcoming claycourt season in what could be his final year on the ATP Tour. The 37-year-old, who has won […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-391397","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n