By Rafael Nadal may be in the midst of his final year as a professional tennis player, with his eyes trained on another challenge to win the French Open.
Now images have emerged of the Nike outfit Nadal is hoping to wear at Roland Garros this summer, with the 14-time French Open king set to wear a purple outfit with orange trim if the online leaks are accurate.
The shoes Nadal is set to wear in the French capital feature orange trim to match his tee shirt and his army of fans around the world will be hoping to see the 37-year-old shake off his latest injury problem to take to his beloved clay courts one last time.
Nadal is battling to get fit for the opening big tournament of the European clay court season after he was forced to pull out of this week’s Indian Wells Masters with a back problem.
Nadal says he has made the “tough” decision to withdraw from Indian Wells as he is not yet “ready to play at the highest level”.
The 22-time Grand Slam singles winner has been off the tour since suffering a muscle injury in Brisbane in January.
Rafael Nadal’s 2024 French Open outfit
He was set to mark his return with a first-round match at the BNP Paribas Open against Canada’s Milos Raonic on Friday.
However in a post on social media, the 37-year-old Spaniard said he is not yet ready to compete.
“It is with great sadness that I have to withdraw from this amazing tournament at Indian Wells,” he said.
“Everyone knows how much I love this place and how much I love to play here. That’s also one of the reasons why I came very early to the desert to practice and try to get ready.
“I have been working hard and practicing and you all know I took a test this weekend but I don’t find myself ready to play at the highest level at such an important event.
“It is not an easy decision, it’s a tough one as a matter of fact but I can’t lie to myself and lie to the thousands of fans.”
Initial reports emerging from Spain suggest Nadal’s latest injury problem is not serious, as scans revealed he does not need to take an extended break from the game.
His last Grand Slam win came at the 2022 French Open, where he claimed a remarkable 14th title at Roland Garros.
And he has suggested a final push for one more title in Paris as the priority for 2024.
“My priority goal, which is what I said from the beginning, is to get to the clay season as healthy as possible,” he said last month.
“I want to try to give myself the option to enjoy the clay season.”
The Monte Carlo Masters get underway on April 7, with Nadal also having the option to play in his homeland at the Barcelona tournament a week later.
He will then have the option to play at the ATP 1000 events in Madrid and Rome before the French Open, but it is highly unlikely that he will play in all of those tournaments given his fragile fitness issues.
The positive news is that Nadal appears to be ready to resume practising once again, so fears that we may have seen the end of his career in recent days can be dispelled for now.
