Will Nadal and Federer Play Doubles at the 2024 Laver Cup?

At the start of 2024, Rafael Nadal returned from a year-long injury to play at the Brisbane International. Nadal’s long-awaited comeback saw him make it to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Jordan Thompson while also suffering a muscle tear close to his hip. Several months later, Nadal once again bounced back at Barcelona Open–only to be eliminated in the round of 32. This officially sparked speculation that the struggling tennis icon would indeed be retiring in 2024 and that the rest of the year would be something of a farewell tour, allowing Nadal to make appearances in tournaments if and when possible.

Since then, Nadal has played the Madrid Masters, Rome Masters, Roland Garros (where he received an epic ovation from the crowd), Bastad, and most recently the Paris Olympics–which saw him go up against his long-time rival Novak Djokovic perhaps for the final time, losing 6-1, 6-4. In the aftermath of the Paris Olympics, Nadal announced that he’d be skipping the US open but would still be making an appearance at the upcoming 2024 Laver Cup. Naturally, many fans believe that the Laver Cup could be his final ever tournament–and that Roger Federer could be coming out of retirement to join the farewell.

Nadal and Federer Might Play Doubles at the 2024 Laver Cup

The tennis world can rejoice: there’s a chance that Nadal and Federer will once again play doubles at the 2024 Laver Cup, having last done this together at the 2022 Laver Cup for Federer’s farewell appearance.

Regarding a potential comeback, Federer has said, “I don’t think we’ll play doubles together at the Laver Cup, but if he asks me, I’ll definitely be there.” Essentially, it’s all down to Nadal. If he decides to hang up his racket this year and give Federer a call, you’ll be seeing the iconic duo wear the blue of Team Europe this September for one last time. However, the slight problem with this is that Federer has been retired for two years and would require a decent amount of time to practice before hitting the court again. So, unless Nadal has already told Federer in secret that he’d like him to come back, it might not be until the 2025 Laver Cup that they play doubles together again–if at all.

This outcome is especially likely considering the recent reports that Nadal is considering continuing his tennis career for another season, which would take him to the end of 2025. According to gamble-usa.com, most sportsbooks now believe that Nadal will play tennis in some form during 2025, with a strong focus on making one final appearance at Roland Garros.

When Will Nadal Retire from Tennis?

Throughout most of 2024, Nadal has been asked by countless journalists and people within the media about his retirement plans. Most recently, during the Paris Olympics, Nadal responded, “When this tournament is over, I will take the necessary decisions based on my feelings and desire”–which has been his standard answer at every tournament he’s competed in this year.

One thing is for certain, Nadal has been in immense physical pain for the past two years. Combine this with his age (Nadal is currently 38) and it becomes clear why he’s struggled so much on-court, finding it almost impossible to recapture his form from previous years. The good news, though, is that Nadal has had a more solid mid-to-late 2024 run and played well in moments at the Paris Olympics, so there could be enough left in the tank to see him play another year of tennis in 2025.

If Nadal is to play tennis in 2025, it’s highly likely that he’ll make some type of announcement regarding this toward the end of 2024. The main factor here is that Nadal can stay injury free. If another injury was to derail his comeback efforts, then it could be the final injury that causes Nadal to retire from the sport.

Summary: What the Future Holds for Nadal’s Tennis Career

Will we see Federer make a shock return from retirement to play doubles with Nadal at the 2024 Laver Cup? It’s definitely possible. However, following recent reports that Nadal might be considering extending his tennis career to 2025, nobody knows for certain what will happen. For now, it’s a case of waiting for an official announcement from Nadal’s team, as he continues to train and attempt to stay healthy.