Rafael Nadal has confirmed that next month's Davis Cup finals will be his last event before retiring from professional tennis. Many are curious to know why he did not participate in the Paris Masters as a preparation.
Nadal has a special relationship with the French capital because of his incredible record at the French Open - 14 Grand Slam titles, the only one on clay.
His most recent success came in 2022, with the run including a quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic in four sets. That was also the last time he beat the Serbian.
Nadal and Djokovic have met twice this year, at the 2024 Paris Olympics and last week's Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia. Both matches were victories for Djokovic.
Nadal's appearance at the Six Kings Slam after more than 2 months of not competing has many people wondering whether he will participate in the final Masters 1000 event of the year in Paris or not.
The Paris Masters was one of the least successful tournaments of Nadal's career. Rafa's only final in 2007 ended in a heavy defeat and it was one of three Masters 1000 events he never won. The other two were the Miami Open and the Shanghai Masters.
Nadal did not choose to retire at this year's French Open, which makes saying goodbye to the city of Paris at the Masters 1000 an option. It could also help him practice on indoor hard courts ahead of the Davis Cup finals.
However, Paris Masters director Cedric Pioline revealed that Nadal did not request to be present at the tournament, although it was a possibility.
"It's true that Nadal could go to Paris, logically the Davis Cup would be his last performance. But he didn't make any demands.
Choosing the Davis Cup in Spain with the possibility of experiencing it with all his teammates, family, friends, that makes sense and suits him, I think."
Understandably, Nadal did not want to risk injury before his final Davis Cup appearance, despite playing at the Six Kings Slam.
Without Nadal, four wildcards at the Paris Masters go to Richard Gasquet - who will make his final appearance at the tournament before retiring next year, and three other French players: Gael Monfils, Adrian Mannarino and Giovanni Mpetshi.
Djokovic also did not attend this year's Paris Masters, despite being the defending champion.
