Coach Toni: 'Nadal will hang up his racket at Madrid or Roland Garros'

"Madrid or Roland Garros. That time is coming and Nadal will decide," coach Toni Nadal answered when asked about the possibility of Rafael Nadal retiring because of a persistent injury.

Mr. Toni said that Nadal has not hung up the racket because there is still a chance to win big titles. The 36-year-old won two Grand Slams last season, reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon, before falling into a slump due to a series of injuries over the past nine months.

"It's hard to retire while winning. I think Pete Sampras has done it," added Mr. Toni. "I haven't talked to Nadal about this yet because I don't know what is most appropriate right now. If he recovers well and comes back, let him continue to play."

Nadal has won the Madrid Open five times, and Roland Garros 14 times. These are the two most successful events in the career of "King of Clay". Nadal last year suffered an injury before the clay season, lost the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open but still won Roland Garros.

The 22 Grand Slam owner is training to prepare for this year's clay season, after missing most of the first three months of the season due to a hip injury at the Australian Open. Spanish newspaper Marca said that Nadal could re-appear at the Monte Carlo Masters in early April, then favorite series such as Barcelona Open, Madrid Open before going to Roland Garros.

Nadal fell to 13th ATP last week, dropping out of the top 10 for the first time in 18 years. The Spanish media said that the close senior Roger Federer retired last year, along with many recent constant injuries, made Nadal consider the decision to hang up the racquet. This will only happen as early as after Roland Garros this year.