Rafael Nadal Casts Doubt on 2024 US Open Status After Olympics: 'It Looks Difficult'

Rafael Nadal's Paris Olympics came to a close on Wednesday after he and doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz lost to the United States pair of Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram in the quarterfinals.

As for his future, Nadal cast doubt on his potential participation in the U.S. Open.

"It looks like not but I'm going to let you know soon," he told tennis reporter Eleanor Crooks when asked if he was heading to the States. "For me now, I can't give you a clear answer, I need some time. But for me it looks difficult."

Given their respective pedigrees, it was surprising to see Nadal and Alcarez lose on Wednesday. But doubles is a different beast, and it got the better of them on Wednesday.

It was almost assuredly the final Olympics for Nadal, who is 38 and only competed at one tournament between his first-round ouster at the French Open and the Paris Games.

He told reporters after bowing out of the Olympics singles tournament, losing to long-time rival Novak Djokovic, that he would make a retirement decision following these Games.

"When this tournament is over, I will take the necessary decisions based on my feelings and desire," he said. "It is difficult to recover if I am thinking about whether I retire. For many people it makes little sense, I have been suffering for two years. If I feel that I am not competitive I will make the decision to stop. I just try my best every single day, trying to enjoy a thing that I have been enjoying for so much time. I have been suffering a lot of injuries the last two years."

Nadal was famously an unstoppable force at the French Open, winning an astonishing 14 Grand Slam titles on the clay at Roland Garros, but his second best major tournament was the U.S. Open. He won four times in New York (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019), though he missed the tournament last season.

It's very possible he'll sit it out this year too.