Roger Federer's former coach Ivan Ljubicic was surprised by Rafael Nadal's recently announced retirement at the end of the season.
The Spaniard Rafael Nadal announced his retirement as a professional tennis player last Thursday. The 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner, including 14 triumphs at the French Open, announced on his social media channels that he would be ending his career for good after this season.
Ivan Ljubicic, who played against the Spaniard nine times in his active career (and won two of them), was surprised by the decision. "I thought the French Open would be the right time, the most logical place to retire," said the 45-year-old Croatian. Of course, he doesn't know how Nadal feels or why he has made this decision.
Shouldn't end like Federer
Ljubicic continued: "I don't believe that a player of this level - I've seen it with Federer - retires because he doesn't want to play tennis anymore. He retires because he probably feels that he can't play at a level that is acceptable to him. If the future is not clear, it is not good to continue with this feeling. It's logical to make a certain decision."
Ljubicic coached the Swiss from January 2016 until the end of Federer's career in September 2022. "I've always said that it's one thing to decide to stop, which is the hardest thing." But the question is also how to do it, explains Ljubicic. "We've talked a lot with Roger about this situation. The moment comes when you have no choice. Roger was no longer able to play a tournament competitively and had to withdraw."
Ljubicic would like to see a different ending for the bull from Manacor: "With Rafa, I hope to see him on court in Spain and play his last match in front of a home crowd. That would be very nice."
