Rafael Nadal reveals just now he is certain that he will be able to play pro tennis again. Nadal, 37, suffered an injury to his psoas muscle during this year’s Australian Open. Initially, Nadal was expected to be out for six to eight weeks.
But then, Nadal suffered several setbacks in his recovery and ended up having surgery to repair the damage. Now, Nadal reveals there were times in the last couple of months where he doubted if he would ever again be able to play.
“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. 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 said during his appearance at a tennis clinic in Barcelona, via Eurosport Spain.
Nadal’s comeback to start in Australia?
Nadal hasn’t signed up for any tournaments at the start of the 2024 season.
However, it is known that Nadal’s goal is to return at the start of the next year. If everything goes as planned, Nadal will likely play a tournament or two leading up to the Australian Open and then compete at the opening Grand Slam of the year.
In October, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley announced Nadal would play at Melbourne Park in January. Nadal and his PR team denied that report, highlighting that his comeback to Australia wasn’t fully guaranteed.
In recent weeks, Nadal has been combining gym work with the work on the practice court. Nadal’s priority is to return healthy and ready to the courts in 2024
