Rafael Nadal has finally admitted he can see the light at the end of what seems like a very long tunnel. The Spanish star has been away from the court due to a hip injury sustained during his loss at the Australian Open in January and was confirmed to be back five or six weeks after undergoing an operation on his Iliopsoas in June but that never materialized.
However, the 37-year-old star has recently been seen in videos on social media training hard in gym and outdoor court for what is now confirmed as a 2024 comeback season.
Rafael Nadal talks on his comeback
Rafael Nadal unfortunately played his last game of the season against Mackenzie McDonald in January and has since then be sidelined for hip-flexor injury for the rest of 2023. In an interview with Eurosport, Nadal revealed that he will be back on the court for the 2024 season and has been working tirelessly toward that goal in recent months.
Rafael Nadal admitted he wasn’t sure he would be able to play tennis again until now, “Until now I didn’t know if I would ever play tennis again and now I think so. What has changed from a few weeks ago to now is that now I know that I am going to play tennis again. Talking about tennis is another matter altogether, as is the level I’ll be able to play at.”
“I didn’t know it before, but now, honestly, I know it because the evolution is positive. Big steps have been taken lately. I’m not yet ready to say where. When I know, I will be the first to say it.”
Nadal revealed he will not win more Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic, but he’ll give himself a chance to enjoy tennis again, “I don’t know at what level I will be able to return, but I have never lost my enthusiasm. I haven’t played for a year and for me, personal success is more powerful than general success. I sense that it will be difficult to recover a high level of tennis, but if I did not have the hope of being competitive again, I would not have done the work I have done these months and the effort that this requires after a very long career. I am not going to win more Grand Slams than Djokovic, but I will give myself the opportunity to enjoy it again.”
When did Rafael Nadal last play on the tennis court?
Rafael Nadal has played just three matches and lost them this year due to ongoing hip and abdomen issues. The first two matches Nadal played were at the United Cup, where he lost to Britain’s Cameron Norrie and Australia’s Alex de Minaur in the round-robin stage.
At the Australian Open, the Spaniard was able to scale past Jack Draper in the first round before losing to Mackenzie McDonald in straight sets in the second round. That defeat to McDonald was the last match Nadal played, and it came on January 16. Meanwhile, in 2022 he had lost only six matches and featured in all Grand Slam events.
“I’ve always maintained hope that I would play again,” said Nadal. “How much? At what level? It’s difficult to answer that. I never lost hope I’d play. Things gradually become clear with the passing of the weeks. At the moment I’m on the right track.”
Perhaps, the injury was for good to keep tennis legend fit for 2024 but that would rest on how fast his body can adapt to the physicality and fast pace of the present game.
