End of an era? Rafael Nadal prepares to play two sentimental events

In his last competitive tennis event, Spaniard Rafael Nadal played singles and doubles matches in the Paris Olympics in August at Roland-Garros, site of his 14 French Open victories. 

To the disappointment of his fans, he withdrew from the U.S. Open in early August and Laver Cup exhibition in mid-September. No one but Nadal, 38, knows how he feels physically or how long he plans to play. He has repeatedly said he is unsure when he will retire, but we'll soon see him in two big events in October and November.  

Could these events be his goodbye to the sport?

Nadal is one of the six players slated to play in the "Six Kings Slam" in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, beginning Oct. 16. The King of Clay had to play in this event to crown a King of Tennis. He will compete against Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz. 

It is a three-day event scheduled for Oct. 16-19, with an off day Oct. 18. Nadal and Djokovic have first-round byes.

On Oct. 17, Nadal will play the winner of the Rune-Alcaraz match. If he wins, he will play in the final on Oct. 19. If he loses, he will play in the third-place match on Oct.19. Two best-of-three set matches in three days will be a lot of tennis for Nadal, who has limited match-play experience in 2024. 

In recent years, Nadal hesitated to overcommit his schedule because of physical issues. For this reason, it was surprising when he announced he would join the Spanish Davis Cup team in its final eight matches from Nov. 19-24 in Malaga, Spain. Fans will see Nadal and Alcaraz, also known as "Nadalcaraz," reunited on the court in doubles as they were at the Paris Olympics.

Nadal has handpicked the events he will play in this fall. The Six Kings Slam has a favorable schedule. Davis Cup is at home, and Nadal can play as much as physically possible. 

It will be interesting to see if this is Nadal's way of exiting the sport on his terms and at the end of the season.