The former coach of Roger Federer admitted being surprised at where Rafael Nadal has chosen to retire.
The 38-year-old announced he will end his illustrious 23-year-old tennis career after November’s Davis Cup finals.
Nadal is set to represent his country of Spain and will play on home soil, with the event set to take place in Malaga.
That is a fitting way for the 22-time Grand Slam champion to hang up his racket, but Roger Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubičić thought he may have ended his career at a different event.
Where does Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubičić think Rafael Nadal should retire?
Rafael Nadal posted a video to his social media accounts on October 8 announcing he will be stepping away from tennis.
The injuries he has sustained since season kept him from being healthy throughout 2024 and as it becomes more difficult with age to recover from injuries, Nadal decided it was time to bid farewell.
Ljubičić, who coached Federer for the final six years of his career, was surprised that Nadal did not choose the French Open as his final tournament, given his success there over the years.
“I’m surprised because I thought Roland Garros was probably the right time, the most logical place to stop,” the Croatian said at the Festival dello Sport event.
“But I don’t know what he feels or why that was his decision. I don’t think a player of this level – as I saw it with Federer – would retire, because he doesn’t want to play tennis anymore.
“He steps back because he probably feels that he cannot play at a level that is acceptable to him. When the future is not clear, it is not good to continue with this feeling, and it is logical to make a certain decision. I’ve always said it’s one thing, to decide to quit, that is the hardest thing.”
What was Ivan Ljubičić’s record against Rafael Nadal as a coach and a player?
Ljubičić played on the ATP Tour from 1998 until 2012 and 10 titles.
He played against Nadal on nine occasions and claimed two victories. This included their very first meeting at the Doha Open in 2005 and the 2010 Indian Wells semi-finals.
He had far more success against the Spaniard while coaching Federer, starting in 2017.
Federer rallied from 1-3 down in the final set to defeat Nadal to win that year’s Australian Open, his first Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2012.
The Swiss Maestro claimed more wins against Nadal that year, before winning their final meeting at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Federer ended his epic head-to-head rivalry with Nadal by winning six of their last seven matches.
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