Rafael Nadal will miss the French Open after failing to regain full fitness from a hip injury suffered at the Australian Open in January, and the 14-time Roland Garros winner added he expects to retire following the 2024 season. Nadal, who has dominated the clay court season for close to two decades, has competed at Roland Garros every year since claiming the first of his 22 majors in Paris in 2005.

"I will look to be 100% ready for next year, which I believe will be the last year of my professional career," Nadal told a news conference at his tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain.

"The evolution of the injury I sustained in Australia has not gone as I would have liked. I have lost goals along the way, and Roland Garros becomes impossible."

"I will not establish a date for my return. I will see how my body responds and take it from there," said the 36-year-old, who is tied with Novak Djokovic with a men's record of 22 slam titles. "If I keep playing at this moment, I don't think I can be there next year.

"I don't know if I'll be able to come back in the highest level and compete for Grand Slams. What I will try to do is to give myself the opportunity to go back to what could be my final year competing at the highest level." The French Open runs from May 28 to June 11.

Nadal has already designed a lay-out of his future activities after retirement. He has invested and secured his plans for his retirement life. In a recent interview to the Global Head of Santander Wealth Management & Insurance, his banking partner, Nadal was asked about his plans after retirement. He revealed that the two projects that he is keen about are his academy and foundation. “I think I have got enough projects which I have started like the academy. I have got the foundation which is also a project.”

Foundation

The foundation came first in 2008. Since then, the foundation has enabled Nadal to perform various humanitarian works around the world. His foundation’s first project was the creation of his tennis school in India in 2010. This project recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Further, the foundation has also helped various families in dealing with the consequences of the Corona virus pandemic.

Academy

In 2016, Nadal inaugurated his ‘Rafa Nadal Academy’ in his hometown of Mallorca. Realizing his passion for the sport and love for Mallorca, Nadal began the Academy. Over the years, it has become one of the best tennis centers in the world. Various players practice here and many young stars are coming through the academy. Moreover, Nadal also has personal investments that he is excited about. Apart from the academy, he has invested in real estate, restaurant chains, startups, etc. He revealed, “I have a team by my side. They look after my investments in different aspects and I will explore those aspects in a more professional ways."

Like his rivals Djokovic and Federer, Nadal is looking at financially securing his life after retirement. He is keen on his business interests and has safeguarded his finances.

Rafa is looking towards working even more with his academy and foundation. For years, he has talked about helping underprivileged children in various parts of the world. He will surely look upon this mission once he is done with his tennis career.