"If Rafael Nadal doesn't win French Open, the end becomes imminent" - Paul McNamee predicts Spaniard to make one last push at equaling Novak Djokovic

Former Australian Open CEO Paul McNamee claimed on Thursday (March 7) that Rafael Nadal might as well hang up his racquet if he fails to win the 2024 French Open.

Nadal's return to pro tennis this year has been far from ideal. The Spaniard picked up a muscle tear in his left hip during a quarterfinal exit at his first tournament back in Brisbane. It also led to his withdrawal from the Australian Open in January.

The 22-time Major winner subsequently said he would participate at the Qatar Open in February but ultimately chose not to play, as he was admittedly not 'ready to compete' at the highest level. He cited the same reason for his withdrawal from the 2024 Indian Wells Masters ahead of his first-round match against Milos Raonic.

Despite Nadal's struggles to get his 2024 comeback up and running, former player-turned-sports administrator Paul McNamee believes that the 37-year-old won't call it quits as long as he has a plausible chance of equalling Novak Djokovic's tally of 24 Major titles.

However, the Aussie did claim that the 22-time Major winner would likely retire if he failed to win this year's French Open — his most successful Grand Slam tournament.

"Let’s call it as it is. Rafa continues while he believes he can still win more Roland Garros’s, & why not? If he does, he’ll keep playing," Paul McNamee wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "For me he won’t quit while he has a chance to equal Djokovic on 24. If he doesn’t win RG24, the end of a magnificent career becomes imminent."

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Rafael Nadal has won 14 French Open titles

The Spanish bull lifts the 2022 French Open trophy

Since turning pro in 2001, Rafael Nadal has monopolized the French Open, clinching 14 titles on the claycourt Major. The Spaniard has won 112 matches for only three losses in Paris, making him the most dominant player in a single Major tournament.

Nadal was eligible for his first-ever appearance at the French Open in 2004 but missed the event due to a stress fracture in his ankle. The Spaniard made a scintillating debut at the Roland Garros-Stade the following year, beating then-World No. 1 Roger Federer (semifinals) en route to winning his maiden Major.

The King of Clay defeated the Swiss maestro in three back-to-back finals in 2006-08, before suffering his first-ever French Open defeat to Sweden's Robin Soderling in 2009. He regrouped well from the upset loss to reel off five consecutive triumphs at Roland Garros from 2010 to 2014.

Novak Djokovic, who had gone 0-6 against Rafael Nadal on the red clay of Paris up till this point, defeated the Spanish bull in the quarterfinals of the 2015 French Open. Nadal then pulled out midway through the tournament in 2016 due to a left wrist injury.

Much to the delight of his fans, the Spaniard experienced a resurgence from 2017 onwards, winning four back-to-back Roland Garros titles. While Djokovic denied him again in the 2021 semifinals, Nadal recorded his 14th and most recent triumph in the French capital the following year.