Rafael Nadal is more than content with how he is feeling on the court right now, but he claims it is “impossible” for him to consider winning any events.
Before having to resign from the ATP Tour owing to injury, Rafael Nadal only participated in two matches during the 2023 season, both of which were at the Australian Open almost a year ago.
He expressed fear about his tennis career after that and declared that, should he make it, the current season would be his last.
He admits he shouldn’t be taken seriously as a title candidate just yet, but he has returned to Australia prepared to make his comeback following a year out and hip surgery.
Nadal responded, “I can’t complain,” when questioned about his physical state prior to the upcoming season. “Today I feel so much better than I anticipated.
I can’t even consider the possibility of winning a tournament right now. However, one possibility is to relish the return.
“I plan to go a year without playing on the court, not much more.”
The 2024 Australian Open is going to be much more intriguing thanks to Rafael Nadal, and this is creating quite a stir.
He admits that his level is a little enigmatic, which contributes significantly to it. After all, when Nadal made an attempt to recover from an injury at the end of 2022, his performance fell far short of what was required.
However, we also know that he is capable of amazing feats, such as winning the Australian Open in 2022 despite having a severely damaged foot.
Of course, Nadal’s unpredictable play in the draw adds even more drama to the mix. For the tournament, he is entering via protected ranking, but it merely puts him into the draw. He doesn’t become seeded by it.
As a result, he might play against a top player in the opening round. He will then play in their quarterfinal against one of the top four seeds, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, or Jannik Sinner.
The Roland Garros will then unquestionably be the most significant competition of his season.
Only Nadal can truly know his physical state; no one else can truly know how he truly feels. This will be essential to determining his true standing in 2024.