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.” 

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However, recent injury setbacks were enough for Nadal to confirm his retirement later this year. Nonetheless, his fans will hope that Nadal can have one last laugh before retiring. Elsewhere, Mikael Ymer also made it to the headlines with a comeback update.

Mikael Ymer set to return to action

Minutes ago, Swedish tennis player, Mikael Ymer, took to his official Twitter handle and said that he will be making a comeback after 8 months. Back in July 2023, Ymer was handed an 18-month ban after missing doping tests. Subsequently, he announced his shock retirement from tennis, only to announce his comeback lately.

Stefanos Tsitsipas faces backlash

Following his victorious run in Monaco, Tsitsipas took to Twitter to make an appeal to fans to save planet Earth. He said, “Nature is one of the most beautiful things in the world. The way the leaves change colors in the fall, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, the beauty of a snow-covered landscape. Let’s protect and cherish our planet, and preserve its beauty for generations to come.”

However, French tennis player, Corentin Moutet hit back at him, saying, “From a tennis player flying everyweek to a new country.” Tsitsipas wouldn’t mind this subtle dig from Moutet as he is enjoying the best run of his season. Tsitsipas will next be seen in action at the Barcelona Open, where he is the fifth seed.