We haven’t seen him on the courts since February and a pitiful elimination in the second round of the Australian Open. But legend Rafael Nadal, 37, isn’t quite done with tennis. He himself said it throughout the season, where he recovered from an operation on the iliopsoas of his left leg. And once again this Thursday, during a press briefing organized on the sidelines of a conference by his doctor, Dr. Angel Ruiz Cotorro.
“If you want something new that I haven’t told you until now, then I honestly think I’ll play again,” explains the Mallorcan. I can’t say if it will be in this or that location, but I’m happy with the way things are going. A few weeks ago I wasn’t able to say if I would be able to return, but progress has been positive. I hope that in the coming weeks I will then be able to say something more concrete. »
In recent weeks, Nadal has published several videos of his training on his social networks. The latest one shows him in the middle of a cardio session. For tennis, on the other hand, everything remains a little vague, as he himself admits. “I feel that it will be difficult to return to a very high level of tennis, but if I had not had the hope of being competitive again, I would not have done the work that I did during the course of these months, the effort that this implies after a very long career, which the years weigh down. I’m not going to win more Grand Slams than Novak Djokovic, but I’m going to give myself the opportunity to enjoy them again. »
A few weeks ago, Nadal had already admitted in an interview with the Movistar+ channel that 2024 could be his last professional year. “I said it was possible that 2024 could be my last year, I stand by that, but I can’t confirm it 100% because I don’t know. But the idea is not to come back to win Roland Garros or the Australian Open. Don’t let people be surprised, all this is very far away, I am aware of the difficulties I encounter.
