Rafael Nadal says he is feeling better and this might not be his last French Open

PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal smiled. He joked. He sounded upbeat. He's been playing well and feeling better in practice. He is eager to get going at Roland Garros after dealing for so long with hip and abdominal problems.

Oh, and then there's this little tidbit he dropped during a pre-tournament news conference Saturday: This French Open might not turn out to be the 14-time champion's last appearance, after all, at his favorite event, one he called “magical.”

Because of his age — he turns 38 on June 3 — and his injuries, not to mention past statements about figuring 2024 would be his last year on tour, everyone from other players to fans to the media has been assuming it will be his farewell appearance at the French Open.

Asked whether that's accurate, Nadal grinned and replied: “Don’t assume that.”

“It’s a big, big chance that it’s going to be my last Roland Garros,” Nadal said. “But if I have to tell you it’s 100% my last Roland Garros? Sorry, but I will not. Because I cannot predict what’s going on.”

The Spaniard missed much of the last two seasons because of health problems, including hip surgery that forced him to sit out the French Open a year ago, his first absence there since he made his debut as a teenager. He is just 7-4 in 2024, and he expressed a bit of doubt after a lopsided loss at the Italian Open two weeks ago — he called it a “disaster” on Saturday — as to whether he would even enter the clay-court tournament in Paris at all.

But he did show up and has been training in front of loud, supportive crowds this week. Because his ranking is so low after such little activity — once No. 1, he is No. 276 currently — Nadal did not get the benefit of a seeding and was drawn to face No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in a showdown that will be the focus on Monday, Day 2 of the tournament.

“Ideally, I would have liked to play him in the later stage of the tournament, but it is how it is now. He is unseeded this year; I am seeded,” Zverev said. “You know, it’s a tough draw, but it’s a tough draw for both of us. We’ll see how it goes.”

Nadal said he can move more confidently than he has been and gets the sense he can play with anyone now, a sensation that has been fleeting for a while.

“I probably will say is the first week since I come back playing tennis that I am able to run the proper way without having a lot of limitations," he said. "That encourages me.”

Zverev is coming off a title in Rome and might be a popular pick as the most talented player yet to win a Grand Slam trophy. He was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open and was at the top of his game two years ago at Roland Garros, when he took on Nadal in the semifinals but had to stop after tearing ligaments in his right ankle and was taken out of Court Philippe Chatrier with a wheelchair.

When Zverev's brother, former player Mischa, informed him of the draw's outcome on Thursday, Zverev said he figured it was a joke.

And Zverev — whose ongoing court case related to accusations of domestic abuse by a former girlfriend will resume with a hearing in his native Germany next week — said he can't go into Monday's match thinking about facing a diminished Nadal.

“For me, in my mind, I’m going to play peak Rafa Nadal. That’s what I expect him to be. I expect him to be at his absolute best,” Zverev said. “I expect him to play the best tennis he’s played in a long time on this court.”

Nadal wound up winning his 22nd major championship at the 2022 French Open while playing on a left foot that hurt so much he needed nerve-numbing injections. So competing at something less than perfect health is nothing new.

He hurt his hip during a second-round loss at the Australian Open in January 2023, and later had an operation. A comeback this January was stalled by a tear in a hip muscle near that original injury. A recurrence of an abdominal issue hampered Nadal later this season.

And while Nadal has often intimated retirement is beckoning, he said Saturday that he doesn't “want to close, 100%, the door,” because he is enjoying playing tennis, he likes traveling with his wife and young son and, he added, “I was not able to explore yet the proper way how I will be able to play, being in, again, more or less healthy conditions, playing without limitation.”

He asked Saturday for a halt to questions about his future while he figures things out. About a possible return to the French Open. About how much longer he will be on tour.

“Give me some time,” Nadal said. “Maybe in one month and a half, I'll say, ‘OK, it’s enough. I can’t keep going.’ But today, in some way, I cannot guarantee that that’s going to be the last one."

Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

FILE - Spain's Rafael Nadal kisses the trophy as he celebrates winning his 10th French Open title against Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Sunday, June 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena, FIle)

FILE -Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning the first set against Germany's Alexander Zverev during their semifinal match at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Friday, June 3, 2022. Rafael Nadal is in the French Open field, after all, and the 14-time champion was set up for a challenging first-round matchup in Thursday’s, May 23, 2024, draw against Alexander Zverev. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

Spain's Rafael Nadal looks up during a training session at the Roland Garros stadium, Saturday, May 25, 2024 in Paris. The French Open tennis tournament starts Sunday May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Spain's Rafael Nadal trains at the Roland Garros stadium, Saturday, May 25, 2024 in Paris. The French Open tennis tournament starts Sunday May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Spain's Rafael Nadal arrives for a training session at the Roland Garros stadium, Saturday, May 25, 2024 in Paris. The French Open tennis tournament starts Sunday May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

Spain's Rafael Nadal uses his towel as he trains at the Roland Garros stadium, Saturday, May 25, 2024 in Paris. The French Open tennis tournament starts Sunday May 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)

BRUSSELS (AP) — The 27 leaders of the European Union gather in Brussels on Monday evening to take stock of recent European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc’s top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards.

The June 6-9 elections saw the European Parliament shift to the right and dealt major blows to pro-European governing parties in Paris and Berlin. The Franco-German motor that usually propels EU politics along was weakened, and new dynamics could be on show at the informal dinner.

Under the EU’s complicated division of powers, the presidents and prime ministers get to nominate the next head of the bloc's powerful executive branch, the European Commission, which is responsible for drawing up EU policy on everything from climate to the colossal shared budget.

Under the EU's treaties, their choice should take into account the results of the election.

German conservative Ursula von der Leyen looks likely to stay on as president for another five years after a strong showing for her center-right European People’s Party parliamentary group.

In an interview with Germany's Welt TV on Saturday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “it is clear after the results of the elections that everything indicates that there can be a second term in office for Ursula von der Leyen.” He said he believes the top job nominations could be agreed “quickly."

Von der Leyen, at the helm of the EU since 2019, led a huge drive during the pandemic to secure billions of COVID-19 vaccine doses, set up a historic post-pandemic economic recovery fund and, from 2022, drummed up support for Ukraine in its war with Russia and extended a hand to Kyiv to join the bloc.

But nothing is guaranteed. Von der Leyen's presidential style has at times riled her commission colleagues, and she is deeply unpopular in some corners of the EU Parliament, where she will need the support of 361 of the 720 lawmakers to hold on to her job.

The other big posts up for grabs are that of European Council president, held by Belgian centrist Charles Michel, and EU foreign policy chief, occupied by Josep Borrell of Spain from the center-left. The council president’s job is to broker deals between the 27 member states, while the top diplomat represents the EU on the world stage.

In Brussels, names for the big posts have circulated for months. Former Portuguese Socialist Prime Minister António Costa is frequently mentioned to become council president. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, well known for her tough line on Russia, has been floated as the bloc’s potential top diplomat.

French President Emmanual Macron said the aim Monday is "to try to have a quick consensus. But perhaps we need to wait until June 27-28,” when the leaders meet again in Brussels for a formal EU summit.

“I don’t want to preempt things," Macron said on Saturday. "These discussions are happening with 27 of us, so we have advanced, several of us have called each other, and I think it’s possible. I think it’s possible in the days to come, or in the week to come.’’

Von der Leyen’s own path to power in 2019 shows that the tussle over EU top jobs can be unpredictable. Then a German defense minister somewhat tainted by scandal in her ministry, von der Leyen was a relative unknown in Brussels when her name was raised by leaders in closed-door discussions.

Back then, the support of her close ally, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Macron helped her clinch the nomination. Given the current balance of power in Europe, it’s hard to imagine Macron and Scholz pulling a major surprise this time.

Scholz is licking his wounds after his Social Democrats took a drubbing, while Macron is tied up with the snap elections he called last week in a risky bid to see off the far right.

In a secret ballot in 2019, von der Leyen made it over the line with 383 votes, nail bitingly close to the threshold of 374. She was an unpopular nominee because she had not campaigned in elections as a lead candidate and was seen as being imposed on Parliament by the leaders.

Associated Press writers Lorne Cook and Samuel Petrequin in Brussels, Angela Charlton in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

FILE - Supporters of French far-right National Rally react at the party election night headquarters, Sunday, June 9, 2024 in Paris. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

FILE - A group stands under an election banner outside the European Parliament in Brussels on April 29, 2024. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

FILE - The first provisional results for the European Parliament elections are projected on a large screen during an election event at the European Parliament in Brussels, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Harry Nakos, File)

FILE - Lead candidate for the European Commission, current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen poses during an event at the European People's Party headquarters in Brussels, Sunday, June 9, 2024. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

FILE - A man wears a suit in the EU colors as he walks outside the European Parliament during Europe Day celebrations in Brussels on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

FILE - From right, French President Emmanuel Macron, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, European Council President Charles Michel, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni watch a skydiving demo during the G7 world leaders summit at Borgo Egnazia, Italy, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

FILE - Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa arrives for an EU summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Sunday, Nov. 25, 2018. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

FILE - Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas arrives for a EU Summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 21, 2024. The 27 leaders of the European Union will gather in Brussels on Monday, June 17, 2024 to take stock of the surprise European election results and begin the fraught process of dividing up the bloc's top jobs, but they will be playing their usual political game with a deck of reshuffled cards. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during the opening plenary session of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)

President Emmanuel Macron of France speaks during the opening plenary session, during the Summit on peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday June 15, 2024. Dozens of world leaders converged on a Swiss resort Saturday to discuss how to bring peace to war-ravaged Ukraine, though any hopes of a real breakthrough were muted by the absence of Russia. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen arrives at the Ukraine peace summit in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Saturday, June 15, 2024. Switzerland is hosting scores of world leaders this weekend to try to map out the first steps toward peace in Ukraine. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen attends the plenary session during the Summit on peace in Ukraine, in Obbürgen, Switzerland, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)