Nadal, who had announced plans to participate in Laver Cup back in April, was last on court at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, where he lost in the second round of men’s singles to eventual champion Novak Djokovic and in the quarterfinals of men’s doubles alongside Carlos Alcaraz. The 22-time Grand Slam champion had planned to play Laver Cup, which was likely to be his final event of the 2024 season, as recently as August when he withdrew from this year’s US Open.
The former world No. 1 initially looked to make 2024 his final season on tour, but pushed back on that assertion at the Olympics, leaving future plans up in the air and the door open for a return in 2025.
“If I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland Garros? Sorry, but I will not,” he said after a first-round exit from Paris in May. “Because I cannot predict what’s going on.”
Team Europe is yet to announce a replacement for Nadal: their line-up, led by captain Bjorn Borg, currently consists of Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Team World announced Alex de Minaur and Tommy Paul would be sitting out the event earlier on Thursday. Francisco Cerundolo and Thanasi Kokkinakkis would join a team led by captain John McEnroe and players Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, and Alejandro Tabilo.
The 2024 Laver Cup will take place from September 20-22 at the Uber Arena in Berlin, Germany.
